We are here, ready to blog our way through this afternoon's Pats-Jets game at Giants Stadium. A really nice late summer day, the weather should effect the game. We'll have updates here throughout day, as well as information, analysis and postgame quotes from the locker room.

I don’t think there is anything specific.We were able to move the ball, but penalties hurt us. The overall execution was not at a level that we would have liked.

Were there any issues with the play-calling?

I don’t think it’s been a problem.There is always a play or two here and there, where the communication doesn’t work, the play doesn’t go through.But since the preseason, thing have been fairly smooth.

What about the play-calling on defense?

I think it’s been fine.Overall, though the preseason and first two games it’s been good.We really had some problems last year, Miami, the Pittsburgh game, San Diego.That’s when you use hand signals.

There has been a lot of talk about Brady throwing a lot.Was that in the game plan?

From game to game things will go how we feel like things will be best offensively.Yesterday we ended up in some long yardage situations.We were pretty balanced up until the end of the half.In the third quarter we were in long yardage and in the fourth quarter we were throwing it.

Talk about the delay of gamepenalties

We “delay of game’d” ourselves right out of field goal range.

Do you feel the offensive timing is where it should be?

We’re gonna keep working just like we always do.It’s the second week of the season and I’d hope we execute better in week 8 or 9 than in week 2.We need to do a better job of coaching and playing in all parts of the game. Running, passing, tackling, we just need to do a better job.

What information do you think Kevin O’Connell could have given?

I think that you can look at film with or without Kevin O’Connell.He might be able to provide some insight on how something might be read, but there is no way they can know what play we’re running.So, I don’t think it was all that helpful.The most help he could have been was running the [scout] offense since he ran it for a year.

Were you surprised that by Welker not being able to play?

He was getting better all week and practiced, but that’s how it goes.You don’t want to open it up because you want to be ready to go on Sunday.After practice on Friday he had two more days of treatment.I went out the field with him on Sunday and he felt that he wouldn’t be able to perform at the level he wanted.It really was a game-time decision.You guys found out when I found out.

What makes Jets blitzes so effective?

Most blitzes are man-to-man blitzes.If you use one of your eligible receivers, a running back or a tight end, in protection you can pick up a blitz. But if the guy who is covering your receiver also comes then there is one extra man coming.Sometimes they [the Jets] will rush four and cover with seven. Other times they crowd the middle and send three guys over the center which means you have to pinch down. The Jets are a man blitz team so if you block a guy, another is free to come.

What do you think of Tony Gonzalez playing in Atlanta?

He’s added a great dimension for them.He’s tough, we saw him on opening day here last year.He’s big, big enough to tie people up.He adds another option for Ryan who already has Roddy White, and Jenkins.

How about Matt Ryan?

He’s smart, he can move around in the pocket well enough, he doesn’t look like a rookie, I know he’s in his second year, but he looks comfortable throwing in the NFL.He’s also confident and well poised.

What can you tell us about Atlanta’s defense?

They come from the Jacksonville background, when he [Mike Smith] was under jack Del Rio.They’re fast, they run well, they pressure, and they don’t give up a lot of big plays. They drafted a lot of quality young players, trying to get younger on that side of the ball.

Question of the week – what game or memory stands out at Giant Stadium

Sport Illustrated's Peter King joined Dale and Holley Friday afternoon to discuss this weekend's playoff games and happenings around the NFL. King believes the Jets could cause the Colts some trouble in the AFC Championship, calling New York "a difficult team to play in all ways." He called the NFC matchup between Minnesota and New Orleans a “who's got the ball last” game. King also touched on the coaching situations in Oakland and Buffalo, calling the hire of Chan Gailey "extremely surprising."

We were just discussing Brett Favre and why the media seems to like him so much and Michael brought up the point that if you interview him he is a very normal, down to earth guy. Is that what does it for you?

Well, I think the biggest thing about Favre is that he is sort of this everyman come to life. And whatever you think about him and his waffling and all that other stuff is that, he’s remarkably human, at least to me, and I’ve always thought about him that way over the years. That plus the fact that he is about as good in long form — I’m not sure he’d ever really be good on TV or any sort of sound-biteish way or any sort of fast-paced way — but if you want to sit down and talk to him about football, you want to talk about Billy Bob Thornton’s performance in Slingblade, you want to talk about Tiger Woods, you want to talk about anything. I mean, this is a guy who at home at night watches the History Channel, watches the Learning Channel. He’s just a different guy who I think if you actually get a chance to sit down with him you’d be pleasantly surprised at the type of person he is. And I understand why most people, or many people, are fed up with him because he has waffled all over the place but that too is him being human.

You know Peter I made that point that his critics would love him if they had the opportunity to talk to him. What happened with the MVP voting? Why do you think it was as lopsided as it was? I have no problem with Peyton Manning winning, I guess I have a problem with it being not a contest because there were some worthy competitors.

Because Michael, its set up, unlike in baseball, its set up to not be a contest in football. Because in baseball isn’t the MVP, don’t you vote 1-10 or 1-5? Well in football, its one. So if you think — and I’ve done this before, I’ve split my vote a couple of times. I’ve been a voter for 15 years and I’ve split my vote a couple of times. But I think the reason that Favre wasn’t in the running is that if you have to pick one guy its understandable why you’d pick Manning, especially when the Vikings fell apart a little bit down the stretch. Now don’t get me wrong, I said this year that if either Manning, Brees, Rivers or Favre won I would understand the verdict. But I thought that Manning, because of what he had done and because he was playing with two new receivers. Because again he didn’t have a running game and he was adjusting and doesn’t have the greatest offensive line, I thought he deserved it. But I totally understand if people thought it should have gone to Favre, its just that you’ve only got one vote and that makes it hard a lot of times for a real horse race for the MVP.

If the New York Jets beat the Colts this weekend and end up being in the Super Bowl in Miami in two weeks, is the commissioner going to say, “See the best teams do get where they are supposed to be. We don’t have to worry about how teams play at the end of the year.”

I don’t think its going to change Roger Goodell’s stance at all; he still thinks something needs to be done. I think a lot of people over the last few weeks have written and said and kind of pounded it into everyone’s head that there is nothing you can do. And I’m not saying that there is necessarily something you can do or something they will do. But the one thing I would say is that there are some rules — and I said this to Tony Dungy in the last week of the season — there are some rules that every coach, every general manager, every football person rolls his eyes at and says, “Oh my God, this is an absolutely idiotic rule.” But sometimes if you look at it the other way, and this is the way I look at this rule: if you are a season ticket holder of the Indianapolis Colts, and in an average year you have two of your final three games at home at the end of the regular season, that could mean that if you have a dominate regular season, that could mean that you are only paying for six out of ten games to be real legitimate football games. The other four — two in the preseason and say two in the last three weeks — could be phony-baloney games. So at some point, the reason why I still think the league needs to try to do something about this is that I got on a talk show in Indianapolis and a woman called and said in essence that, “I take a second job to pay for these tickets and I’ve been a season ticket holder for a long time. It’s totally unfair to me that I show up for one or two games every year in which the team is not trying.” And so again, I see both sides of this, I really do, but I think I see the side of the people who want to see legitimate football games more.

If you are the Indianapolis Colts and you are a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and they’re dominant and they want to make sure they give you a good product for the postseason, as a fan you have to understand the big picture that your team is trying to get protect players to make sure they are healthy for the postseason. But this is how you solve problems: reduce some of these damn prices. If you feel like resting some of your players and giving fans a raw deal, give them a break. Give them free parking, give them some free merchandise, so they don’t feel like they are getting screwed when they come to the stadium. How about that?

Michael, I would agree with you on reducing the ticket prices and having a lesser price for an exhibition game. There is nobody who wouldn’t agree with you on that. So maybe that is the solution. However, lets just say for the sake of argument that the owners refuse to do something about that. I don’t know any owner right now who is thinking seriously about, okay, instead of charging $125 bucks for a preseason game, we’ll charge $40. There is no traction to do that whatsoever. But I would ask you this about being against my position on this. In the NBA, when David Stern makes Kobe Bryant and the Lakers play at least big chunks of games at the end of the season. When in baseball, if the Red Sox have a 12 game lead and they are playing a team that is in contention for another division title or a wildcard and they play their guys because that is the way it is done in baseball, how is that different from football.

I don’t think its done that way in baseball. How many phone calls have we had from people after the Red Sox clinch where they have Triple A guys, some September call ups?

But it’s different. If they are playing a game that has any sort of playoff implications, they play their guys. In the NFL, they don’t. Michael, it’s a fact. Tony Dungy did not care that the Cleveland Browns playoff situation in 2007 rested on how much he played his guys against the Tennessee Titans. He basically said its not my problem.

Peter, he’s shouldn’t. I think Tony Dungy is right. You gotta protect your own team. I understand what you are saying, that it’s better for the league if guys are out there competing, but ultimately every coach is trying to win the Super Bowl. If you think your chances of winning the Super Bowl are better by resting your starters, then you gotta do it.

Well, I understand, but all I will say is this. You talk to the fans of teams where people are struggling to pay for their tickets and in all they are seeing is three or four phony games out of ten and your position will change, because mine did.

I’m going to ask you the unfathomable here, but I’m going to try anyway. What the hell is Al Davis thinking?

He is an old man who has trouble making up his mind. That is all there is to it. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know if it is the right thing to just fire Tom Cable and go get the best guy. He realizes that the pool of coaching candidates for him is far different than the pool for almost every other team in football except probably the Buffalo Bills or maybe Cincinnati. So I think Al is basically looking at this situation and saying in essence, “Can I do any better than Tom Cable?” and he is surveying the field to see if he can. In my opinion, he can’t. My opinion is, he’s got a guy even though Cable is pockmarked with all these physical abuse charges and things like that, you talk to players on that team, and I have, and this is the first guy since Jon Gruden that the locker room has been fairly united behind. So I think he is a guy they should keep.

Alright, I’ll take it one step further. Ralph Wilson decided that Chan Gailey was the best idea, or whoever decided, Chan Gailey is the coach of the Bills?

Well, you’re preaching to the choir on that one. I’m extremely surprised at that, especially since, look, I’m not even saying that Mike Zimmer would definitely have gotten this job, okay. But here is the point I would make about that coaching search: they didn’t even interview Mike Zimmer. And to me if you are looking at the coordinators in the NFL who deserve a shot, deserve some sort of feeler, Mike Zimmer in taking the Cincinnati Bengals from a moribund defense over a two-year period to being a top-10 defense without any big stars, I was mind-boggled that he didn’t get a shot there. And I thought the interview process was really lacking in common sense.

Lets go to the games this weekend, Peter. Lets start in the AFC: the Jets are everybody’s darling right now, maybe outside of New England. How do you see this game playing out between the Jets and the Colts?

I think in a lot of ways the Jets are a very difficult team to play. I wrote this today, that I kind of feel that they are almost the New Jersey Devils of the NFL in that everybody looks at them and says, “Well geeze, they don’t have a lot of big stars.” But they are just a very difficult team to play, you know, they muck up the middle of the ice just like the Jets do. I think they are a difficult team to play in all ways because I think they are going to be able to run the ball against a not an overly powerful Indianapolis front. This is the thing that I really struggled with in picking this game: is Peyton Manning going to be patient enough with Reggie Wayne taken away from him, and is he going to be able to win this game without Reggie Wayne and without a running game. My money says he is, but I think it is going to be a very difficult game for the Colts.

It was an interesting breakdown by Ron Jaworski about this. And he looked at the first time these two teams played and he said Darrelle Revis didn’t really take Reggie Wayne out of the game as much as Peyton Manning for the time that he was in there flat out missed him. And he was using an analogy that Reggie Wayne was almost more of a Wes Welker-type receiver that day and Peyton just wasn’t getting the ball to him. If they do it again, my guess is Peyton doesn’t miss him a whole lot again.

Well I would guess that too, but his history also says that if there is a great corner…like Peyton Manning used to always stare clear of Champ Bailey when he played Denver, so Marvin Harrison a lot of times against Denver wouldn’t have a big game but Reggie Wayne and the other receivers would. So I think that is one thing. One other issue to look at with this game is how patient will Manning be? Because I think it is really really important for him to basically do what Philip Rivers didn’t do. Where I really fault Philip Rivers is the strength of his game is throwing the ball downfield. I mean, did he complete one big downfield play? No, he didn’t. So you have to keep going at the Jets secondary, especially against Lito Sheppard, and try to throw the ball downfield. And I think Manning’s very good at that and I think he will win with that.

What do you think is going to happen in the other game, Peter? Vikings-Saints, I think it’s going to be a great game. Who do you see winning it and why?

Well, this is one that to me is almost a “who's got the ball last” game. I can’t see either team blowing the other team out because in my opinion I think Sean Payton looks at the Vikings rush last week, looks at them hitting or sacking Tony Romo 25 times in 40 pass drops and looks at them and basically says, “Hey, I’m not going to do the same thing.” He’s going to throw the ball quick and he’ll have a lot of Drew Brees throwing the ball quick and on-time so that he won’t give Jared Allen and Ray Edwards the chance to get to him. That’s sort of how I view that game, and I think the short throw is going to win this for New Orleans, the team that deals in chunks rather than trying to throw the ball downfield.

I thought that “beep-beep” we heard was the Jets backing into the playoffs.

Hey, how amazing really would it be if they make it, after their own coach said they were out of it. I mean, really.

Well not only did they get handed two gifts by the Bengals and Colts just to get there, they got handed another gift by Norv Turner and Nate Kaeding and Vincent Jackson last weekend.

Yeah, but I will say this. The Jets can lull you a little bit--the Jets can make you play a certain that you don’t want to play. That’s what they did I thought against the San Diego Chargers last week, they made the Chargers play their game. And so, my feeling is, especially this week, is that if Manning isn’t patient— if he tries to do too much too soon, if he tries to hit a home run on the first or second drive when it really isn’t there — I’ll just think that is a young players mistake, that’s not a veteran quarterback out there. That is where I think Manning has to go into this game saying, “Hey listen, we go three and out on two of the first three series and don’t score on the third it’s okay, we’ve got plenty of time in this game.”

]]>224792010-01-22 16:13:180000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idRaw emotions of footballhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=22632
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=22632226322010-01-28 08:30:460000-00-00 00:00:00openclosedraw-emotions-of-footballdraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastPats Draft: Needs and names http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23009
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23009230092010-02-14 19:34:030000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idPats release TE Bakerhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23704
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23704237042010-03-04 16:25:350000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastWe are late on this, but...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23780
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=23780...we kind of had other stuff going on today. Julius Peppers has officially been signed, sealed and delivered to the Bears. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end was undoubtedly the biggest name on the first day of free agency, going from Carolina to Chicago. Terms of the contract were not released, but several outlets have reported it was worth $72 million, with approximately $40 million coming in the first three years. The NFL Network, citing a source, reported the deal was for $79.8 million, with $40 million guaranteed in the first three seasons.]]>237802010-03-05 20:07:310000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastWorking overtime: Jon Kraft on D&Chttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24361
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24361

After all the buzz, after all the opinions and all the remarks from both sides, when it came down to it, the NFL felt it was time to do away with the old overtime rule for good – at least when it came to then playoffs.

Patriots President Jonathan Kraft joined the guys on Dennis and Callahn to comment on the final verdict from the NFL owners, citing that the overtime rule change stemmed from the NFL wanting to do what was ultimately best for their fans.

“You had to get the football people out of the room and get the owners and the commissioner in the room, and talk about what was truly best for the game,” said Kraft. “Not what was best for the head coaches, but what was best for the game of football visa vie the fans.”

Kraft also shed some light on Tom Brady as not only a quarterback, but as a team leader for the Patriots as well, being sure to highlight the likeliness of extending his contract with New England.

“Tom is a guy who is the textbook, dictionary perfect example of a leader for your football team, both on the field and off the field. We’re very lucky to have him…and the bottom line is he’s going to be the quarterback for the New England Patriots.”

John and Gerry didn’t let Kraft get away without commenting on the Jets joining HBO this season for their series of “Hard Knocks,” to which Kraft responded that when HBO questioned New England about the series a few years back, the Patriots ultimately decided that it probably “wasn’t the greatest fit for that program.”

I’ve tried to explain to Gerry for weeks that signing your own key players is a good move, not a penny pinching thing. Can you help me out here?

I don’t even know where to begin. Actually I’d turn the tables and ask Gerry to give me three or four examples of when teams have signed big name or big money free agents where it works out. I’d like to understand where those situations have worked out.

I was hoping you’d trade for Anquan Boldin. I thought it was a good fit, the price wasn’t too much. Do you think your team is better today than it was at the end of the season?

I don’t think the offseason is over, we’re definitely more secure in the core future of our team, because when the season ended last year, there were a number of players who we felt were critical to our team who’s contracts have expired. And as we’ve talked about before, this is a period of time in which there are a lot of dynamic changes going on and there is a lot of dynamic changes going on, and I think there was a lot of uncertainty about the market this offseason. We had a number of people on our team who were priorities, and we’ve taken care of them, which I think leads us to believe were in a better place. Because of this being an uncapped season, in the past, you would have seen people clear veterans off their team to clear top-53 cap space, before now, there’s no reason for anyone to do it before the start of the season for anyone to do it before the start of the season. So I think you’ll start to see a lot of things happen during the training camp, much more with veteran players, than you’ve ever seen before. And I think you’ll see the draft, where we have four picks in the first two rounds, and we’re excited about that. So the answer is, I think we are on our way to having a materially better team than we did last year.

Are there different approaches to take here heading towards the uncertainties that you just referenced?

It’s not do business differently, I think we’ve always been more focused on our own free agents, and I know sometimes people write about things, but I would ask you to name free agents of our own that we’ve let get away. Maybe, I realize people could make the case for Asante, but other than Asante, that it was a mistake to let them get away. And I would still throw back at you, I would love to hear a couple of example where teams have signed big-time free agents from other teams and it’s worked out, it just doesn’t work out that often. So we think we’ve done the things statistically that makes the most sense. We won our division last year, we think we’re in reasonably good shape, and I think that the uncertainty of this season, we have a plan for how we want to deal with it. We always felt this draft would be a deep draft, because in 2011, and I can’t get too much into the negotiations, but I think a lot of the players in college and a lot of agents believe the rules for rookies are going to change. So a lot of kids, we always felt, were going to come out in this draft and make it a deep draft, and we felt that way a couple of years ago. So far, that’s proven to be true, and I think we’ve set ourselves up well, as long as we make the right decisions, and that’s important. And Nick and his whole team of scouts, and now Bill and his coaches are spending a lot of time on the draft, because those four picks along with the four picks we had last year in the second round can hopefully make a meaningful impact on our team this season, next season and the season after. And I do think we’ve left ourselves the flexibility with whatever ultimately happens with the CBA to be able to compete, where some other teams may of put themselves in a position where they could be hamstrung.

We all know what the holes are, but you do expect them to be filled by either the draft or some free agents that you think may be cut in June or July?

I can’t tell you when other teams are going to do it, but I think that between June and the start of the season, you will probably see a lot of players - significantly more players - get released, with veteran type experience, than you have in recent years.

A lot of people think this draft might be the deepest it has been in year. But there also are a lot of people who think marijuana use is more prominent in this draft than it has been before. Is that something that concerns you?

That would be something to talk to Nick and Bill about, obviously any type of illegal activity being performed by potential draft picks is something you want to be concerned with - and we pour over tons of information with each kid, and that will be something that they take into account when we’re sending out our board and deciding who is somebody we would ultimately want to have on the Patriots and who isn’t A factor like that is something we’d consider, but my guess is there’s a big difference in how some kids might be doing it and how other kids might be doing it, and it’s really just one factor in about 50 factors that are off the field that we look at with kids.

When you hear about other teams superstars getting into trouble, do you ever just thank the heavens that Brady is your guy and you never really have to worry about much with him?

Look, Tom, we’ve talked about it a million times. Tom is a guy who is the textbook, dictionary perfect example of a leader for your football team, both on the field and off the field. We’re very lucky to have him, he’s only brought pride to this organization, never done anything to give anybody a pause for concern about anything else, and we’ve been extraordinarily lucky to have had him as a part of the team. There are a number of other players I could say that about too, but if you’re comparing quarterbacks, Tom’s at the top of the list.

Give us a sense of when Brady’s contract will be taken care of.

I think, and Robert said it this week at the meetings, that Tom is going to be a part of this football team, and I think if you’re a fan of this team that’s what you want to take away from it. Both sides want to be together, it’s just a matter of working out the details that are good for both sides in a timeframe that works for both sides, and the bottom line is he’s going to be the quarterback for the New England Patriots.

Was the overtime rule change a difficult decision did it just seem like it was that way?

This is one of those cases, and when we came into the league, the first season, it was the season of the two-point conversion rule. And something very similar happened there, where you heard all the coaches and the coaches didn’t like it, they thought it was adding a level of complexity and decision making that they didn’t want to have to deal with, and really to get that vote down you had to get the football people out of the room and get the owners and the commissioner in the room, and talk about what was truly best for the game – not what was best for the head coaches, but what was best for the game of football visa vie the fans, primarily, and our network partners that deliver the game to our fans. And I think the fans thing was true with OT, we’ve been hearing for a while now, that the fans don’t like the one-possession rule, they don’t think somebody should win a coin-toss, and when you look at the statistics, when the rule was first put in place, you were basically within a point or two of 50 percent of the team winning the coin-flip going on and winning the game. Those numbers, because of the kickoffs having been moved back, and because of the accuracy of the field goal kickers, that’s gotten to over 60% now. So, a coin-flip, which is supposed to be 50/50, is leading to a result that isn’t a 50/50 result, and I think we listened to the debate with the football people, but then we had a meeting with just ownership and the commissioner, and I think most people felt like – I think John Mara said it best in the room, he basically said, I’m paying my football coach a lot of money, and we all are, and they should go suck it up. And this is what the fans want, and this is what’s right with the game, and I think John’s on the competition committee and he made a pretty inspiring speech, and I think he along with the commissioner got the ball rolling on that. And I think even for some of the people that voted no, I think the vote was 28-4, I think part of the issue for them wasn’t even that they didn’t like the rule, they just didn’t like he inconsistency of doing it in the playoffs and not in the regular season, but pretty much everybody felt like it was the right thing to do.

We know how the Patriots voted, did your head coach have an opinion either way?

Bill didn’t really voice an opinion about it. Bill’s been around the league a long time, and I think he understands this rule was one of those things that was going to be done at a higher level. That being said, I think Bill likes consistency. So if you were to ask Bill about it, my guess it that he would say, I’ll live by the rules they tell me to play with, I just wish it was the same right now in the regular season as in the postseason.

We found out yesterday the Jets would be featured on Hard Knocks on HBO, have they ever even asked about the Patriots?

When the show first started a few years back, yes.

Did Belichick laugh at that person’s face?

No, I think we all knew that probably our organization wasn’t the greatest fit for that program. It suits certain programs well, and look, you can make the case that it probably did good things for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. I think the head coach for the Jets and some players on that team will probably make for great theater, and I’m sure that the head coach and ownership there thought about it, and think it’s going to help that team. When we looked at it, we just didn’t feel like it was going to be a positive, we thought it would be more of a distraction.

]]>243612010-03-25 15:02:580000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastWilfork: Last season was a different teamhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24752
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24752247522010-04-14 20:08:330000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idQuick hits from Myron Pryorhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24862
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24862On not being a rookie anymore:
It doesn’t necessarily mean you can do stuff like the veterans — we’re still second-year players. There’s a little bit of a burden lifted off our shoulders, but we still have a lot of work to do.
On how his first season went:
It was like everybody said it would be. It was real hard. It was real tough. Coaches are real hard on you. You have to withstand the pressure … you don’t want to break. There’s a lot of pressure, but once you get through it, it’s a big relief. Everything just begins to get a little easier.
On the game slowing down: Yeah. I think any team that you go to, you talk about being with the coaches and just sitting down and learning more, more than … after awhile, it gets a little bit easier. Then, when you get on the field, it just seems natural.
On the rookie class bonding last year: I think we all came together. No one had a chip on their shoulder. We were all cool with each other. We talked to each other. There’s nothing like someone was jealous of somebody else. It was all just a big family.
Advice for draftees: You have to be a very hard worker. You have to be very disciplined. You have to be the greatest role model … not just here but anywhere, because that’s what they expect. Especially here. You have to be a guy who’s willing to take a lot of pressure on your shoulders.
What were you doing on draft weekend last year?
I was with my family. We had a nice, big cookout. It was a long day — a very long day. It was kind of have fun, but at the same time, I was like, ‘I’m scared I won’t get drafted. I have the draft party for nothing.’ It’s just one of those experiences you can’t take away.
What was it like getting the phone call after you've been drafted?
I really couldn’t say nothing. I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it.’ Seeing my mom and my grandmother, they raised me, they were the only ones that was really there for me. They were balling down tears like, ‘Oh, my God, my baby.’ They were all over me like, ‘Let him have some room. Let him breathe.’ It was a very happy day. I don’t regret anything, and just keep moving forward.
Were you surprised with how well you played as a rookie? I don’t want to sound cocky or nothing. Before I got here, my D-line coach — I think he’s one of the best — he just told me, ‘If you just keep working hard like you do, Myron, you should have no problem.’ I took that mentality. I figured that my main goal was to make the team, and after I did that, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get on the field.’ Just learning and a step in the game, I couldn’t believe it.
What did you think of your chances to make the team?
It was very slim because we had a lot of guys at our position, and I really didn’t know how it was going to go. I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold. I was just like, ‘Man, this is a lot of guys. Guys have been here for awhile doing it good.’ I figured I’d just come in, work hard, do my thing and see where it takes me because God is the only one who can turn you in the right path.
What’s one thing you want to improve on this season?
Mostly, just reading my keys much faster. Obviously, learning the defense is very hard, so, learning what you’re responsibility is, responding to the play, that’s something that I want to get better at. And, I think, just working on my double-teams, because that’s real hard.
Have you worked as a mentor to any of the guys coming out of Kentucky who are going to be in the draft?
I really haven’t talked to them, I’m kinda close to Corey (Peters), but he’s real busy. But, like, he really hasn’t asked me [anything]. I just told him, I gave him some advice — he didn’t ask for it. I just told him that just get ready for a rocky road, because I know sometimes patience can be… I mean, guys don’t really know what’s going to happen. I just gave him a heads up that it’s going be a lot more intense and you ain’t going to be able to slack off.]]>248622010-04-20 12:42:160000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastPat Kirwan, NFL.com, on D&Chttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24863
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=24863

The mock draft certainly raised some eyebrows Pat.

Well, come on now, I can tell you what the thinking is on all those: first off on the Dez Bryant pick, I just think if he’s there, they’ll take him. They have to get ready for life after Randy Moss, and I don’t think Bill’s afraid of anything with this guy, he knows he’s a phenomenal player, so I can justify that pick. And I’ve had a couple guys in the league say; get ready for Belichick to take him if he’s there. So that’s enough of a reason for me to stand by that one – but I know where you want to go though, Mr. Tebow.

Well, is Dez smart enough?

Was Randy [Moss] smart enough coming in?

Brady always tells us Randy’s the smartest WR he’s ever had, and all the scouting we’ve seen is that Dez might not be smart enough.

Well I don’t think he is ready to be Randy Moss. But I will tell you this, and I know you guys have done a lot of this, you talk to any receiver that goes into the Patriots’ program, they’re coached by Tom Brady. And Tom Brady does not tolerate, and we’ve seen some receivers get run out of there because they just didn’t get it the way Tom wanted it done. I would think that Tom Brady will be able to take this guy, if in fact they take him, and mold him into exactly what he wants him to be and he gets at least a year behind Randy Moss, so I think at the end of the day, that’s an investment they can make and it wouldn’t backfire.

But have you heard they have to shrink the playbook for him? A few years ago, Chad Jackson was that guy, then Bethel Johnson was that guy – do they not want to get burned again?

Well, we could paint the picture of a dummy if we want to, but I’m not so sure that’s the case, and I’m not so sure learning that stuff is that hard, especially with Tom coaching it, and the guys they’ll have in the slot. The way they run that weak side passing attack, whether it’s Edelman or Wes in the slot, if Wes is healthy, and then the guy outside, which is Randy Moss, ultimately one day would be Dez Bryant if they took him. Look, they build a little package, I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s worth the investment when you’re dealing with that kind of talent, and as I said, I’ll quote the guy, but I’m not telling you who it was, a head coach said “take it to the bank, he’ll be taking Bryant if he’s there.”

In your mock draft, you have number 47, Tim Tebow, why not? Won’t he be kept on the sidelines the first few years? Don’t they need someone on the field now to help them?

Well, they do and they don’t. Bill Belichick is a great historian of the game and the successful programs. I guarantee you, he thought about what he got and learned from having Matt Cassel, and developing Matt. I knew Matt, I was pretty good friends with Matt - Matt didn’t play a down; he threw to the backup tight end. But he saw innate ability there, and guess what, it turns into a dividend. So you tell me what’s more intriguing for Bill Belichick - trade a second round pick for something next year, or take Tebow, develop him, prove somewhere along the line, via an injury to Tom or preseason games or whatever, that he can play. And maybe you’re turning that into a bigger dividend two years from now, if you want to trade him. So I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I also think the relationship between Urban Meyer and Bill Belichick has to be brought into the equation about Tebow. And it’s not a favor to his college-coaching friends; it’s the ability that Urban may have had to convince Bill where this guy could finally land up. If you meet Tebow, and I’ve met him a couple times, you fall in love with wanting to coach him.

But they have a quarterback. Brady.

They have one guy. You have three picks in the second round. That’s why it justifies doing it. You have multiple picks in the second round, you come out of this draft in your first four picks with A, a received, B, an outside pass rusher, c, a tight end, and then this project guy. Look, if it doesn’t happen, you guys will be right, but 99% of the people say it will happen, I say it will.

Will he be a backup quarterback and only a backup quarterback?

He wants to be a quarterback, and I don’t blame him for that. And I think, just listening to a lot of guys that have worked him out, they feel he can be. Pete Carroll had an interesting comment about him, he said: “Look, I recruited the guy out of high school, I thought he could be a great player at USC.” And we all know the kind of offense they run. He also thinks, and I agree with him, Tim is so focused on fixing whatever this issue really is, he is so intent on getting it right, he will get it right. In the meantime, Belichick can get him on the football field, doing a lot of things. And I don’t know Tim would be as receptive to other coaches in the league that might want to do that. I think the communication between Tim, Bill and Urban, the guy will be receptive to other interesting ways to play some football.

You know what would worry me if I made this prediction – is the change in MO that Belichick had after Tebow’s visit to the North end. Tebow stood outside the restaurant and signed autographs – that’s not how Bill does business. You don’t think there’s a plan here?

Well, I’ve been in the business, and we do some of that, waltz him around and try to sell a story to somebody, but do you think the NFL guys couldn’t figure that one out? He’s not trying to fool the media here, he’s trying to fool some GM? Do you think they’re going to take that bait?

But what if there’s somebody right behind him? If he can make the world think he’s picking Tebow, don’t you think he could get a little something-something from another team trying to move up and grab him?

Well now we’re talking about the real Bill Belichick who’s always selling spots. Why does he land up with three second round picks? He’s probably as inclined to sell a pick for something next year or higher, most second round picks this year go for first round picks next year. I’ll cite the Carolina Panthers who had to go get Brown, and didn’t have a pick, so what did they do to get in the second round last year? They gave away this year’s first. So that’s the market for it, but that might be motivated by just how Bill operates, in trying to stockpile picks.

If it doesn’t go according to plan, which guy, if he’s on the board, will the Patriots take instead of Dez Bryant?

I’m going to interview Bill this afternoon, so I’m kind of excited, I’m sure Bill won’t tell me one thing about that. But it’s a matter of what you need and how the board lines up. So let’s say Sergio Kindle’s a guy they have a high first-round grade on, if when they go in the first round, Kindle’s there, ok, they switch gears, and they take Kindle. Now they come back and do something different in the second round. I think Dez Bryant might be gone now, so it’ll become a moot point, but if he’s there, I think the grade they’re going to have on a Mr. Dez Bryant is going to be high enough to justify doing it. And they’ve looked at the depth at outside-backer, and some of the guys that that may be there and will be there in the second round, that they could figure out why they should do it that way, All of us have operated the same way, okay, I have four needs, but I’m not reaching for anything. Who’s in the range of my picks that justifies the taking? And this is from Gil Brandt, now I can’t take any credit for this, but Gil is 100% right. After the 15th player in this draft, he thinks players 16-45 have about the same grade.

Who’s this year’s ‘can’t miss player?’

Well, I think Eric Berry, because of the way the game is played now. The matchup world that the offense has forced the defenses into. Just listening in, Monte Kiffin and I worked together, I talked to Monte the other day at length, Monte has no agenda here with me, but he just said, look, “the guy can do everything. He can blitz, he can line up in the box and support the run, he can play a deep-middle, he can play a deep-half, he can go line up on a Reggie Bush type guy in the slot, he can go out on a wide receiver as a corner. So that type of guy is very valuable. I wouldn’t be surprised is football grade-wise; Eric is a number 1 or 2 on a number of boards.

If he’s there at six, does Pete take him?

This would be my look at Pete’s deal. Pete needs a left tackle, there’s no secret there. But if the first two tackles are gone, reach for the third tackle, or take the matchup defensive back that was coached by one of my best friends in Monte Kiffin? I think he’d take Eric Berry.

What do you think Ben Roethlisberger is going to get? Four games? More?

It could be more. I’ll just tell you what I said yesterday, and then you can shoot a hole through this one. I thought Ben, if he was really smart, and I’m not sure he is, he would have been proactive by now and maybe still has time to be. Ben – take a leave of absence. Put yourself in a position to get well. And show the commissioner, and show your parents and show yourself in the mirror that you understand where you’ve gone awry here and you’re going to fix it. That would have been in my mind a more intelligent play here by Ben. Because, I don’t care – I’m a parent, you guys are parents, missing more football games might not address the real issue here. Do I think the commissioner’s going to drop four on him? That’s the number, after that we get into reasons he might appeal it and everything else.

What are some of the situations in the NFL that might shake things up before the draft, and is Big Ben’s issue one of those?

Well, that would insinuate they might be trading him, there’s a lot of stuff out there that they would trade him today – I don’t think that’s the case. I think when you look at the draft you always look at guys with multiple picks in the first round, there are two teams in that status, Seattle and San Francisco. Do they power their way to the top, do they move themselves down, do they sell one pick off to someone without a first-round pick. So you have to look at those guys. I think you always have to look at guys that are not in the first round that need to feel like they have to get at least to the bottom of the first round to do something. Quarterbacks always drive drafts, so we’re hearing late rumors about Bradford and the Rams, I think the Rams will still take him. And then where does Class=en fall in this draft? So those are the issues to me that will drive this draft. And finally, which I don’t really want to discuss in an example case, but there’s a few guys on the hot seat – GM, head-coaches. And they probably have to make something happen right now, so they’re not looking for multiple picks, they’re looking for an impact player that can come in and do something for them right now. So those are the things that would intrigue me. A team like the Chicago Bears that don’t have a first round pick, don’t go until 48. They’re going to sit there, they have desperate needs at a right tackle, they could probably use a star wide receiver, do they sit there –and I’ve been in this one - and watch players get peeled off the board one after another, and realize we’re not going to get a player that can line up and this fall? Do they react to that? And to me, maybe the biggest thing about this draft, and this is definitely on the minds of everyone I talk to, these guys are getting, from 11 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday, off - to restack their draft board and enter the second round. And when I had the first pick in the 4th round, which that used to be the break point, right, three rounds, a break Sunday, our phones would ring off the hook for that top pick in the 4th round. I can’t even imagine how much action we’re going to get going into Friday based on all that time they get to think it though and make a deal.

Looking at the top three QBs, who do they project to be, five or six years into their career? Does Bradford have the ability to be a Brady, [Peyton] Manning? Who might they be?

Well, I think Bradford’s the guy with the long-range excitement about him. When quarterback coaches and OC’s that are friends of mine go to his workouts and they call me and say, he’s like Troy Aikman, I pay attention to that. He’s accurate, he’s got poise, he sits in the pocket, and he’s a ready-to-play guy. The injury history - and I learned this out of the league - if you use the mentality of medical information that you had just five years ago, you’re behind the eight ball. Medical advances have made for medical competitive advantages in football. You have to look at this differently and the way they are able to repair guys. And I’ll use ACL’s, there was a time where you had an ACL, your career was over. Now, we’re talking about, and if you notice, every year, these guys are back on the field a little earlier than the year before. The rehabs are that good, that they can get back. So I’m a Bradford guy first, Clausen to me has a chance because of his mobility, to give you a Mark Sanchez type experience. Mark is a guy that needs a running game around him, and then gets outside the pocket, creates more with his feet as an athlete, and can still fire a ball. TO me, Clausen’s heading down the Mark Sanchez trail. The Colt McCoy one’s easy, everyone’s made the analogy, I think it’s the accurate one, Drew Brees. This guy, and again, here’s how my friends will describe Colt. If Colt gets in a west-coast offense, with short rhythm passing, he could be very, very effective.

Any whispers at all about the Patriots dealing and moving?

Every draft room is different. And if there’s an impatience in one, they know who to call because the guy has three picks and he’s a deal maker. And that’s how Bill is. And I think the other part of it is, I won’t mention teams, it’s not fair to do that, but there’s guys we just stopped calling. You could never get anything done, they always say things like, we’ll give you a call back, we’ll think about it. And they never even call you back. If you know at the other end of the phone is a deal maker, Bill Belichick’s a deal maker, he’s got friends around this league now. You think about all the ex-Patriots that are out there, and we all know the teams, Kansas City, Denver, for two of them right off the bat, that have his guy. So I think there’s always the opportunity to make a deal when you have connections and relationships - Atlanta relationship with New England, there’s three places right there. Oakland? You know those guys, they get a 4.3 40 on somebody, they want him.

Is there a guy out there that Bill would maybe pay a little more for, someone he’s in love with?

Well, we all know Bill’s style – it’s versatility first. And so, when you think versatility, the two names that come to my mind are Spiller, alright, we all know the versatility issues there, the guy can be a receiver, running back, returner, so his versatility is easy to see. We already talked about Berry, Berry’s got versatility that now Bill can package him up. And then in the defensive line, I’ll just throw Jared Odrick at you, because Odrick can play on any front, he can be a left defensive end in a four-man front, he can be inside, he’s not really a 3-4 nose-tackle, but he can play across the front, and he’s a guy that when Bill wants to get into hybrid looks, he can do something with him. So there would be three guys off the top that I would think intrigue Bill Belichick.

Is there a guy that scares the hell out of everyone – the next JaMarcus Russell?

Let me mention the safest pick might be Bryan Bulaga, and I’ll just say that first, because he may never be a great player, but I think you plug him in now and he’s at least a Jeff Backus, he plays 10 years at left tackle, eight years into it you’re talking about replacing him but you can’t find anybody who can, so that’s the safe side of this whole thing. Risk, reward, I’ll tell you this now, I don’t know where Bruce Campbell’s going, but that’s a scary pick. I’ve watched a lot of his game-tapes, and anyone who wants to challenge me, go watch the CAL game. Woah. It’s scary. He’s a phenomenal athlete who lit up the combine, who, when you watch him on tape is so raw, that you just wonder when he could actually go out and a quarterback would be in safe hands.

]]>248632010-04-20 13:06:230000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastPats couldn't afford to get cute this timehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=25386
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=25386can be good -- Belichick loves what the Florida defensive end brings off the line, but his size doesn't make sense in the 3-4. Third-round Ohio receiver Taylor Price has good size and speed but his hands make him a work in progress. Fourth-round tight end Aaron Hernandez, another Gator, has excellent speed for his position but can't block. The later guys have tons of intrigue, but the Patriots didn't need intrigue this year. More importantly, they couldn't settle for intrigue.
Which is what they did.
Three guys who are close enough to can't-miss, a bunch of other bodies, and a second-round pick in 2011 (which figures to be high, as it's from the Panthers) and the draft's best punter (who, by the way, will be a cult hero) -- that's what the New England Patriots got in the deepest and most critical draft in years. That sounds good enough, but it isn't. Not when considering that they had clear-cut needs and could have had stars by making less moves and more big-name selections.
Before I get into detail, here's a snapshot of what the Patriots could have done if they didn't make a single trade this weekend, and if you don't like a player below, I can almost guarantee you could swap them out for another big-time player:
No. 22: Jared Odrick
No. 44: Sergio Kindle
No. 47: Golden Tate
No. 53: Brandon Spikes
Isn't that something you can get excited about? Each of those guys can be placed atop their respective positions' places on the depth chart. Odrick would play right end. Kindle would start at outside linebacker. Tate could enter the season as the team's No. 2 or 3 receiver, and Spikes would fit beautifully next to Mayo.
Yes, in that scenario, the team would miss out on Gronkowski, but something has to be said for taking the best talent at positions of need with each of the high picks. I'm not saying the Patriots shouldn't have made any trades -- the one for Gronkowski may have been their best move of the weekend -- but this was the year they needed to take a three-day break from stockpiling late-round and future picks and just fill the holes.
No. 22: Dez Bryant is on the board. Jared Odrick is on the board. Jerry Hughes is on the board. Sergio Kindle is on the board. The Patriots traded the pick twice, picking up the Cowboys' third-rounder in the process, and eventually settled on McCourty. The Rutgers cornerback is a much better prospect than Belichick-critics will let on, but he won't impact a team the way Bryant, Odrick, Hughes, or Kindle will. A third-round pick and McCourty may present better value, but the Patriots entered the weekend with four of the first 53 picks. They already had value, but they took it so far that positions that should have been shored up are instead slightly lesser of question marks.
Odrick went at No. 28 to an AFC East rival in the Dolphins, which shouldn't be overlooked because the Patriots could have had the best of both worlds. They could have gotten their sacred "value" and still filled their biggest need: five-technique defensive linemen. Instead they added an exciting player that they didn't need.
No. 42: Gronkowski is on the board and he's a pick away from strapping on a Ravens helmet in a concussion-inducing ritual with brother and Lions tight end Dan. Belichick does what he does best and trades up to grab him, an excellent pick and perhaps the one of only two points during the draft that the coach showed a sense of awareness that his team has major needs that needed to be addressed with stars. The Patriots needed that all weekend.
No. 47: Kindle is gone, having gone to the Ravens at four picks prior. Something is up with Ricky Sapp he suddenly proved to be off draftboards across the league, so the best of the defensive end/outside linebacker "tweener" prospects are off the board. Fortunately for the Patriots, they have two top receiving prospects with pro-style experience there. Golden Tate may have been the smartest receiver in the draft and excelled under Charlie Weiss. Damian Williams showed promise coming out of USC. Instead the Patriots begin their run on Gators by taking Cunningham, who may not even play outside linebacker and could be of most use as a down-lineman in 4-3 situations.
No. 53: Spikes is on the board and they take him. Simple as that. Gary Guyton wasn't cutting it, there was a guy who could produce on the board, and the Pats grab him. It looked like a smart pick for the Patriots, which it was, but the Pats could have made a lot of picks look that easy.
This isn't to be overcritical of the man who has drafted better than most in his tenure, as three of the players they took with the first four picks they eventually made should be starters. This may come off as a rant, and in the hours following the draft, such a perception is easy to arrive on. Wait four or five years, when the true value of picks in this uniquely star-studded draft can be fully appreciated. How many of the Patriots' seven picks will still be on the roster? Teams reset their destiny this weekend -- anyone who wants to laugh at the Seahawks may not have more than a year or two left to do so. That 2010 Raiders' first-rounder isn't looking so much like a Top 5-er anymore.]]>253862010-04-24 18:20:230000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lasthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26443
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26443]]>264432010-07-14 18:32:170000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastRandy Moss and a walhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26462
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26462264622010-07-18 15:15:540000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastRice on Big Show: http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26758
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26758267582010-07-29 16:08:540000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idBruschi on D&H: Jets will win the AFC Easthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26772
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=26772Former Patriots great and current ESPN NFL analyst Tedy Brucshi joined the Dale & Holley show Friday to talk about his first summer without training camp in August, what's going on with Tom Brady and Logan Mankins' contract situations, how inexperienced the offensive and defensive lines are looking, who's going to be competitive in the AFC East, and when it's OK to demand your teammates carry your pads.
Following are highlights. To hear the full interview, visit the Dale & Holley audio on demand page. On whether he's having fun working as an analyst rather than a professional football player:
I'm having a lot of fun, traveling down to Bristol now and then talking about the NFL world. It's a lot of fun for me because the playing aspect of football's gone from my life but still being able to talk about it, study it and research it and break down rosters is something I very much enjoy.
On his last episode of NFL nostalgia:
I think it just recently happened. To tell you the truth, I'm around still here in the New England area and you're still in that sort of same mode because I was in training camp last year, so late July I start getting the itch about, 'Oh, wow, am I supposed to be somewhere?'
I'm on the Cape eating fried clams and having a good time out there with the family and thinking about, 'Man, do I need to be running the conditioning test?' or anything like that to get ready for camp, but realizing that that's no longer a part of my life. But still, you're sort of programmed to where late July comes, summer's over and you're going to training camp. So this is the first time that I've really got to enjoy August as a month of summer. I just asked my wife a couple days ago, 'Is August considered summer?' because I really didn't know. Once I would report to training camp summer was over and it was all about just football.
On Tom Brady's contract decisions:
It's going to get done. I think it's inevitable. I think Tom feels that he wishes it was done by now because now you're playing football and going to training camp and I know the games are still about a month away, but still, you're still out there practicing and there's always that sort of risk of injury somehow some way. You've got young defensive lineman and young offensive lineman and linebackers out there trying to make a team and you never know what could happen in terms of worst case scenario, in terms of injury without a contract, so you want a contract done to sort of settle your mind. But eventually I just sort of think it's going to get done and it's only a matter of time.
On Logan Mankins' hold out and impact on the offense:
First of all how it affects the offense in terms of offense, in terms of production, is that it has a ripple effect along that offensive line. Nick Kazur's never played left guard in his life in a game. And although he does have ability, he does have size and potential to be a left guard, there's going to be growing pains with him playing that position and do those growing pains come maybe in the opener versus Cincinnati when Tank Johnson or Antwan Odom ... one of those guys are lined up over him and all of a sudden he isn't comfortable yet at left guard and they've got a clean path to Tom Brady. Does that cost the offense?
With every rep that Nick Kazur's taking at left guard, is a rep he's not taking at the tackle position, so when Mankins' possibly comes back, Kazur has to go back to the tackle position and now his development has been stunted. That's the ripple effect along that offensive line, so where you're shuffling pieces. The best offensive lines in the NFL have continuity. They play one position, they stay there and you see a starting five for 16 weeks. Right now, the Patriots don't have that.
On his own contract negotiations and taking the negatives presented to him in the process:
The answer, the version, when I was negotiating my contact, I'd get a few times, was that, I'd get older and, 'Tedy, you're 30 now. Tedy, you're 32 now. You're 33 now.' Those are the type of things that they would say and I would want to hear it because I can take it. I could take it and whatever they wanted to say to me I felt like, 'Alright, what's the offer? Let's just put the numbers down.'
With Logan, I don't know if there really is any downside of Logan where they can give him any negatives. I mean if they were to tell him anything, his age, he's young, he's started every single game, practice, every single practice, there's nothing that they can tell him that he hasn't done for that organization. What they usually use in contract negotiations is that you're getting a little older now and this is what a 30-year-old offensive guard would get. But Logan is still in the prime of his career. I know you talk about big contracts and Jahri Evans and some of the other guys but I don't think Logan wants that type of numbers, but he wants to be in the conversation with some of the best paid guards in the NFL and he's not there right now.
On what he likes and dislikes about the Pat's line right now:
What I liked was their athletic ability and their potential as playmakers. I mean Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton, you started with the inside linebackers' position and they have that potential in terms of ability, speed, quickness, outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain had a great year last year. You have some retirement questions with [Derrick] Burgess and everything, and [Rob] Ninkovich might have to step in.
Basically that young, core group of guys has a potential to be a great group, it's just that they lack experience. They lack experience in big game situations. I think that they were possibly robbed of a situation when they weren't able to go out there and try to stop Peyton Manning on the fourth and two, which we go back to that. But also, the one big situation that they had last year was the playoff game at home. That's when they didn't perform well and Ray Rice of course went 83 on the opening kick-off. But I think they just lack a little bit of experience, and I think they got some of that last year in terms of the playoffs, and now they just have to take that to the next level.
On the Patriots defense's inexperience preventing their effectiveness on the field:
Right now, I think they are. But the experience comes in with training camp. The experience comes in with multiple preseason games and another regular season under their belts. They're not fresh and wet behind the ears, they're not all totally rookies out there. They've still got veterans like [Brandon] Merriweather is becoming an established player, [Vince] Wilfork, [Ty] Warren, even Jerod Mayo is becoming an established veteran. But like I said, experience, they need a lot of experience to be in those situations where they can draw upon those situations where we failed at this time, this time let's make sure we don't do the same thing so we succeed. Right now it is very young, and it is very inexperienced.
On teams he likes in the AFC this year:
I'll give you a couple of obvious ones. I like the Baltimore Ravens. I think they have a strong squad, they had a strong offseason. I think those questions are going to hurt them with their rookies right now, Sergio Kindle had a fractured skull, Terrence Cody didn't pass his conditioning test and he's got to drop some weight ... I like what the Ravens have done in the offseason. The New York Jets, I think they made a serious run towards the Super Bowl last year and they made improvements on both sides of the ball. Also, I think the Tennesse Titans can make a run this year.
On the quarterback's dominant position in the NFL right now and how the Patriot's are looking in the AFC East:
Obviously the Patriots have the best quarterback in the AFC East right now, but I can't pick them as the favorite in the AFC East and there's two reasons why. I know they won the division last year, but they played against the Miami Dolphins are greatly improved, and the New York Jets are greatly improved. But there's two things that when I look at this Patriots team that worry me. They were 1-6 on the road, and I only say 1-6 because let's not count that London victory when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they're technically the road team. There's three places they won football games last year. Buffalo was their lone road win, New England and basically old England. That's where they won their three best football games year. That's the sign of a mentally tough, veteran football team when you can go on the road and win and that's what they didn't do.
Also, when they had a home game playoff against the Baltimore Ravens, that's what I call a Foxboro massacre. Those were two situations where you can judge the toughness, especially a mental toughness of a team -- winning on the road and then winning in the playoffs. Although I like the team, I think they're going to be right up there for the contention of the AFC East, that's what the New York Jets showed me last year, making that run towards the AFC Championship, so I think the New York Jets will win the AFC East.
On Dwight Freeney's radio interview about respect and carrying pads as a rookie:
You better carry them. That's the way I feel about it. I think you have to know first of all, when you ask a player to carry your pads, if you deserve to have your pads carried, all right? I think Dwight Freeney deserves to have his pads carried. I think when I would ask Jerod or Gary to carry my pads, they looked at me as a sign of respect and what I've done in my career. I was at the point where they would carry my pads.
I don't think Roy Williams has that clout to ask anybody to carry his pads. I don't think he's done enough in the NFL. He's shown that he's had inconsistencies in his game. To me, I wouldn't carry his pads either ... I think that's where Dez Bryant's coming from. I think if Tony Romo asked Dez Bryant to carry his pads he would.
On getting other guys to carry his pads:
I went up to Jerod, patted him on the back and said, 'We've all had to do it, kid. Here you go.' And he said, 'I know, I know. It's my job, it's what I've got to do.' So Jerod picked them up and he carried them. That's the way it goes in terms of carrying pads. If I was a second, or a third -- I mean, I don't think I asked guys to carry my pads throughout my fourth or fifth year because, still, even though I wasn't a rookie anymore, I felt I still had to establish myself to garner that respect to say, 'Hey, here you go. Carry these.']]>267722010-07-30 12:36:530000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lasthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=27100
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=27100]]>271002010-08-09 13:07:350000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastWelker makes trip to Atlantahttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=27426
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=27426274262010-08-17 09:58:430000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastOchocinco tweets on Meriweather hithttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=28580
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=28580isn't avoiding a "neckbrace :(" after]]>285802010-09-13 10:10:100000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastSolomon Wilcots on D&Hhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=28992
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=28992 CBS color football commentator and NFL Network analyst Solomon Wilcots made an appearance on the Dale and Holley show early this afternoon to discuss the state of the New England Patriots after Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, as well as several other topics regarding New England and around the NFL. The Patriots play the Buffalo Bills this weekend at Gillette Stadium.
The following are some highlights. To hear the
What did you see this weekend against the Jets?
Well, obviously we saw a Patriots offense that was very effective in the first half and not too efficient or effective in the second half. After they had the touchdown to Randy Moss, which was a beautiful catch over Darrelle Revis, I kind of felt like we could get more of that. Instead of them really being patient, I think it was un-Patriot like. They weren’t working underneath the covers; they kept going deep. Many coaches will tell you that when you take that many shots and you’re not effective, it hurts your entire offense. I would’ve loved to see them work the tight ends, work the underneath coverage, work Wes Welker and JulianEdelman a little bit more, and I thought the offense would’ve stayed on schedule and stayed on track.
What are your thoughts on what Kevin Faulk brought to the table in the New England offense?
In my mind, Kevin Faulk is just the gold standard for that third down back position. [He provides] protection for his quarterback in Tom Brady, ability to not only be a check-down guy, but he usually makes the first tackler miss, and his ability to turn those situations into first downs I think is what makes him supreme. At the end of the day, he’s the best. This is a real blow to their offense because he and Wes Welker, more than any two single players, are what make this offense go. There’s going to be a lot missing without him on the field.
What can the Patriots do to fill that halfback position in a short-term time frame? Is Aaron Hernandez a candidate to fill that role?
Well, I think that’s the reason why they go to the tight ends; they love the multiple tight end set. I loved this kid when he was coming out of Florida. I thought it was a great pick, and I think he’s already shown you what he brings to the table.
But at the end of the day I think while he could supplement what Kevin Faulk gave you in the passing game, what we need to really find out is how can that person who replaces Faulk supplement him or give you what they lost in pass protection for Tom Brady. I think it starts there, and then you have to evolve all the other elements that Kevin Faulk would normally give you.
Do you see any scenario where the Bills come into Foxboro and beat the Patriots?
They’ve lost 13 straight to the New England Patriots with better teams than what they have now. This is by far one of the worst teams in terms of talent. Obviously this is the NFL, and as we say ‘on any given day,’ but this may not be the day, particularly with the Patriots coming off a loss. There is not going to be a letdown with the Patriots. You know Bill [Belichick]’s going to have his team bounce back. This one’s a real tough situation for the Buffalo Bills to walk into.
Is it possible for the Bills, who have three very good running backs, to make use out of all three of them? Or is a team better with just one feature back?
I think obviously you could go both ways and they work. While we talk about it a lot, there’s nothing new here, and it’s been done before. The key is that you’ve got to have production in the running game, whether it’s spread out over three or four different sources or if it’s just one main guy.
I think coaches feel better with it being several sources, because if a guy gets knocked out of a game, like a Reggie Bush, who’s such an integral part to that team, they still feel like they can run it with Pierre Thomas. I think the more the merrier in my mind. But depending on how you’re looking at it, at the end of the day as long as you’re winning ball games, that hasn’t been the case with Buffalo.
What did you think of “Hard Knocks”?
I’m sort of conflicted, because from the entertainment value I’m such a huge fan of Steve Sabol and the work that he does. No one does it better, let’s be honest. I grew up watching NFL Films.
But another side of me, when I broke into this league in 1987 as an eighth-round pick, I would not have wanted someone in the room when a player was getting cut. I think some of that stuff remains personal. When the boss comes and tells 15 million Americans you are now unemployed, if you had a TV camera sitting in the room when that was going down, it wouldn’t have been pretty. So in that sense, there are some things about it that I would rather not see happen.
Do you think Andy Reid has set himself up for issues by naming Michael Vick the starter over Kevin Kolb?
To be honest, I think he would’ve set himself up if he watched the way Michael Vick played last week and went back to Kevin Kolb. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with the eyeball test. Kevin Kolb was struggling to run that offense, but Philly was not out of the game against Green Bay. Green Bay, as good as their defense is, they couldn’t handle Michael Vick. If Vick were the starter, they probably would’ve won the game.
I think the way he played last week gave you some testimony to that. Right now, it appears that Mike Vick is much more ready to run this offense than is Kevin Kolb. Give Andy Reid credit for listening maybe to his offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, for listening to other people in the building, even though his first instinct was to stick with his original decision. People tend to not be flexible, despite the evidence staring you in the face that Michael Vick is better right now.]]>289922010-09-22 16:29:400000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockCarucci: Beating Bills won't answer questions for Patshttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29090
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29090Vic Carruci of NFL.com joined the panel on The Big Show on Friday to talk about the Patriots upcoming game against Buffalo in Gillette Stadium. Carucci has voiced his expertise on The Big Show many times and continues to provide insightful opinions for teams throughout the NFL.
On the importance of Sunday's game for the Patriots:
Will this game tell me something about their mindset or character? Things that are reflective of how they respond to a poor showing last week, and maybe a poor half. In their mind, it might be close to five quarters of football where you're scratching you're head a little bit and you're saying, 'What do the Patriots really have?' This Buffalo game shouldn't be that answer because I think they win it no matter what.
On how well the Patriots will fare against the Bills:
Do they have to blow out Buffalo to validate that they're a good football team? I don't think necessarily. They have a new quarterback and he can run the ball, but I don't see them winning. I expect this to be such an awful time for Buffalo to run into the Patriots. I think this could be very ugly. I think the secondary is going to get better. Are they going to miss Kevin Faulk? Yes, but others are going to step in. I really like how they are using the tight ends with [Aaron] Hernandezand [Rob] Gronkowski in their formations.
Four games through the season, who will be the three best teams?
I think the Houston Texans are for real and in the conversation. I also like the Colts despite losing to Houston and they showed something against the Giants. I want to like the Patriots more than I do. I am bothered by the long term youth of that secondary, but I am unsure who to replace them with. Here's my oddball pick: the Steelers. The defense is playing lights out; look how much Troy Polamalu has meant to them. That third spot is hard to pick, but the Patriots, Dolphins, and Steelers are in the mix.]]>290902010-09-24 22:31:030000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lasthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29359
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29359 Patriots tackle Matt Light once again joined The Big Show in its last broadcast of the baseball season.

Would you rather play game in Miami early or late in the season?

It’s kinda funny; it always seemed at first that we were down there on the hottest day. And then we had this transition where they came up here for the first game and we were down there when it was cooler. For a 1pm game early in the year it can be pretty hot. I can imagine by the time it kicks off Monday night we won’t have to deal with so much of the heat. I would prefer to play down there when it’s not quite as sticky.

Sitting through Sunday without football for a Monday night game:

It’s kind of brutal. I think every guy in the league would like to wake up on Sunday, get an early meal in, head to the stadium and get to play a game at 1-o’clock. You’re trying to get a little extra film study in and the day keeps dragging and dragging. You might have a meeting and everyone else has already played their game. It’s definitely an adjustment that you have got to account for.

Is oderick full go right now?

You always prepare for that. You can never know and you never prepare that way. The guys who have been around now for a couple years are definitely guys we’ve focused on for a while now on film. They are very active up front and they have some good interior guys. They can definitely get up the field. They have a pretty good playing style. Definitely a different style in which they play this year versus last year. They have a few new license plates to understand how they do things. Other than that though it’s Miami football.

On the playing environment in Miami:
I don’t think the footings ever been too much of an issue. It’s never been too much of an issue. Not for us, the really fleet footed and nimble; the very cat-like. I’m sure the guys out there making big plays for us, whether is the defensive backs or wide receivers at skill positions, I’m sure they have a little issue with some of that turf. The crowd noise can definitely be a factor though.

For Tom Brady, this hasn’t been the place where he has success. What are you guys going to do to protect him? Is it all about offense?

It’s always about offense putting points on the board. We have the mentality that we’re taking the field to do one thing: to put up points…For us, I think we always talk about the same things every week. We want to be able to go out there and win however it happens. People always want to talk about the run game, or if we’re throwing too much. My mentality and I think most of the guys have the feeling that whatever it takes to win the game, if that means we have to throw it 60 times, so be it. So we’re going to go down there with a game plan in mind and we worked hard all week. Unfortunately we’ve got two more days of preparation before we even get to game day. We’ll continue to do the things that we think give us the best advantage of going down there. Then it comes down to executing and executing on the road which is something we have to do a lot better.

On road struggles: Are you guys ready to make people shut up?

Listen, do we have to go out there and prove ourselves? Of course we do. We don’t have to just prove it to the fans and media and everybody else. We’ve got to prove it to ourselves. That’s a big thing when you talk about a team and chemistry. If you haven’t done it you’re not going to have confidence in it and your definitely going to have some question marks going into any game especially if it’s a trip. Last year was last year. I don’t think the trend line needs to follow us from 2009. I definitely think going down the road to New York, we should’ve won that game and we could’ve won that game if we executed better. We don’t want that to be a mantra for the rest of the season so this is a big deal for us.

How much could you miss Fred Taylor if he cannot play?

The hypothetical game is fun. What if I could run a 4.59? We’ve got a lot of really talented guys at different positions. When you miss any of them, you think of Kevin Faulk and what he has meant to this offense, you definitely miss them. We’ve got a good group of guys who can handle the load and definitely know how to run the rock. But obviously it’d be nice to have Freddy out there healthy with us.

On the new look of Patriots tight ends:

Yeah it’s great for a number of reasons. We are able to do things formationally that can cause some issues for defenses with their personnel packages. For our running game, which they probably don’t get enough credit for, but they have definitely been an impact. It’s been huge for us. Each guy has his own strengths and having a number of them that can get it done is kind of a welcome deal around here.

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293592010-10-01 17:07:000000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastRandy Moss 'forgot about everyone around him'http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29607
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29607Jackie MacMullan, former Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss passed up a chance to be the greatest wideout in the NFL with Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as the head coach, she wrote in a column.
MacMullan wrote that had the receiver been silent about potential contract situations, the whole situation and trade could have been avoided, and Moss would be in a Patriots uniform at least until the end of the season.
"The Patriots didn't start out trying to unload him," MacMullan wrote . "When it became apparent their petulant receiver was focused on one thing, and one thing only -- show me the money! -- they figured they'd deal him now rather than watch him walk with no compensation at the end of the season."
MacMullan also wrote that Moss is only concerned with one thing, and that is himself and how he's treated. Ultimately, his obsession with his contract and getting paid was what overcame his opportunity he had with a great quarterback to win a Super Bowl - "one that he could not and would not overcome."]]>296072010-10-07 14:01:220000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29905
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29905

Tom Brady said that he had no say in either the Randy Moss or Deion Branch trades. (AP)

]]>299052010-10-15 01:32:330000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastNo thoughts of revenge for Patshttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29974
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=29974299742010-10-17 12:25:200000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastTranscript of Tom Brady interview with D&Chttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30023
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30023You know, for the way it turned out, things didn't start out so well for the Patriots. They drove it down the field for eight and a half minutes, and you're sitting on the sidelines after warming up. Then, you have a three and out, and you're sitting down again. Can you talk about that whole pregame warm up and getting ready to play, and then sitting down for what was probably 15 minutes of real time?
Sure, sure. Yeah, I mean I think that's part of it. It's great to get the ball when you start the game because you can get out there and play right away, I mean there's no doubt about that. When they get the ball and they have a long drive, and then we get the ball and don't do anything with it, it puts a lot of pressure on our defense. Obviously offensively we don't even break a sweat.
I felt like most of the game we were really, we didn't execute very well at quite a few moments of the game. It was very sporadic and I think that happens sometimes when you play a good defense. A lot of those were self-inflicted, we've got to do a better job of staying on the field and making the plays better there.
Tom, do you believe in launching points in the NFL season where a week just launches your team into great things, or is the NFL just such a week-to-week, grinding ordeal that what happened this Sunday doesn't really have a lot of effect on what happens the next?
Yeah, there's no doubt about that. Regardless of what we did this past week, it's going to mean nothing when we play San Diego. But I will say this. We were struggling on the road for quite a while, we beat Miami on the road on that big Monday night game and played really well in all phases.
Then, we lost to a team in the playoffs last year 33-14 and really got our butts kicked, and with a very good defense that, OK, we played them and we're down 10 in the fourth quarter and we come back and win. That just tells me we can win on the road. We can win when we haven't played our best and we're down in the fourth quarter and guys are stepping up to make big plays and big kicks and big punts — those types of situations that are situational football, things that we need to execute to win those games.
I think we gain confidence from that. I don't think it's going to matter next week what we did. But I'll tell you, if we're down 10 in the fourth quarter next week, I don't think there's going to be a guy on our sideline that doubts that we can win the game.
I'll tell you one guy who thinks it'll be different next time and that's Terrell Suggs, your pal. Remember what he said after the game, that you "better hope he doesn't see us again." And he vowed to "smash you" if he saw you again in the playoffs.
Uh huh.
Well, he had his chance. Maybe if he gets another chance he can try to back those words up. But he had a chance yesterday. You know, we've played guys a lot, and they've beat us one time in all the times that I've played them. They talk a lot for beating us once in nine years.
He was also asked about the conversation you guys were having. Two things we need to know: What were you upset about? You made a big play, you got the pass off, and you got up angry. Suggs said you called him "sizzle". That's pretty creative, whether you said it or he made that up.
I think he made that up. I was pretty pissed off all day yesterday. I was mad at a bunch of different points. It's the emotions of the game.
At the officials, at him, at one of your teammates, who? Because you completed the pass.
I know, that was a big play too. We had a penalty and then a delay of game. Then we hit a 24 yarder to [Rob] Gronk[owski]. That was a big play. I don't know what I was mad about. I think I was mad at the two previous penalties and I just got, the moment of the game kind of got to me.
It was a clean hit though, right? You weren't upset about that?
Yeah, no it was a clean hit. It was a clean hit. They were all clean hits yesterday.
Did you call him sizzle?
No, I didn't call him sizzle. I don't think I did that.
At the end of the first half, the final drive, it seemed like you guys just kind of let the last 2:32 get away and not really go for it. Were you content to just go into the locker room and not use that time?
No, well I think we were trying to get a first down. Had we got the first down I think Bill wanted to run another two minutes, so that we could, I think they had two time outs. I think an important part of offensive football and playing smart and situational is to not give them the ball back with time. You throw three passes and OK now there's 2:15 and they haven't used any time outs.
I know if you run it down to the two minute warning and they don't use timeouts, at least the two minute warning is gone. If you get a first down, you still have time to get down the field but it gives them less time.
Tom, what was your BPNTD-- best play not a touchdown yesterday.
Oh, god.
I'd vote for that completion to Gronkowski
Yeah
That's not bad, how about that end-around in the first quarter?
Yeah, that was a big one too.
Especially with that crushing block you laid on Suggs.
I know, I know. He avoided me. That was a pretty bad block. That was a bad effort by me.
You and [Brandon] Meriweather are going to get fined the same amount for those hits.
[Laughs].
What made your block look even worse is that Branch had a great block on the play to spring him.
Oh he did? Good. There's a reason a quarterbacks play quarterback and not offensive guard because we can't block, and I shouldn't be blocking. It's better to just get out of the way.
Would you prefer the team your playing next week escape with a win, rather than coming off the field angry and looking for redemption--like the Chargers this week.
Like I said, I don't think it works like that. We're going to have to play well next week to win. So are they. You can be as angry as you want to be, but if you don't play well you're going to lose. I think these teams that have traditionally not been very good teams in the NFL are starting to play a lot better. Like Detroit, like St. Louis that are really turning things around.
I know we played St. Louis in the preseason, and they're a pretty good football team. I thought they played really well against us in the third preseason game, and obviously they're still playing well.
San Diego, I know that they've been banged up. But they're a good team. Last time we played out there in '08 we got our butts kicked so we've got to, you know that's a long trip for us. We're going to have to put together a great week. This is a huge game for us.
Did you at any point in the game miss Randy Moss?
It's hard to say. There's things that we did with Randy that we don't do with anybody else. And there's things that we do with other guys that we never did with Randy. So, I guess it's just not part of the plan. If Randy was there, the game plan may have been a little bit different.
With him not there, we really cater to the things that our guys do well. Like I said, he's on another team now. I wish him all the luck in the world for a great season except when they play us [in two weeks]. He's really found a different home. We've got to move on, too. And I think we did yesterday.
How did the light bulb go on in the heads of this young defense from the first three quarters into the fourth and overtime where they were just a stonewall?
They came up huge when they needed it. I thought they really showed what they're all about. It's a great group of players, they have a great attitude and I'll tell you they work hard everyday in practice. We compete every day in practice. There's not a day that were not out there competing against them.
I've said that I know, that I can see what they're capable of and what they're doing. They played great football. I think it's just like all of us, we need to find ways to be more consistent. The defense plays great at times, the offense plays great at times.
The special teams have really been the most consistent part of our team. The way they've played, they're keeping us in every single game. Without them the last two weeks. with that entire core group and that includes all phases, we'd have a hard time winning the last two weeks.
I really feel like, to complement each other as a whole unit the defense is really complementing us and we are trying to complement them. Overall, we've all got to find ways to be more consistent and to go out there and play better.
Do you know all the guys on the defense? Do you say hi going down the hallway to the smaller names?
Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. Those guys, it's the nice part about the younger guys they bring the different enthusiasm and a little different character to the team. We've got a lot of young guys, and they all, the guys on the roster really earned it.
They were very competitive through training camp with this team. Guys like [defensive end Brandon] Deaderick and [linebacker Dane] Fletch[er] they all work their butts off. That's why they're here, that's why they're contributing.
What's Deaderick's nickname? Is it like Dead Wood?
I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.
Can [Danny] Woodhead keep doing this? Can you keep giving him the ball 10, 11 times a game and expect this type of production?
Yeah, you sure can. They have a hard time with him. He's extremely quick, he's got great hands, he's got very good speed, he's got great vision. I think he's really a threat in both the run game and the pass game. You hand it off to him and he runs for 8 yards and you throw it to him and he gains 12.
That's a great, for a back to catch the ball, that's just a whole other dimension to the offense. We put him out there in empty sets and he's able to run routes. He's really been a big part of this, Kevin's [Faulk] gone down we've really had needed guys to step up and it's pretty impressive that he's been able to come in and do that, fill that role. You can't replace Kevin Faulk, but Woody's really done a great job of trying to come in there and play his role. He's done a great job of that.
There was a great display of rhythm there on that drive to tie the game. Is one of the benefits of that type of rhythm, of that type of pace, that you're making the defense tired?
Sure. That's the way we can do it. We all have to contribute. The important part to me is staying on the field on third down. A lot goes into that. To be productive on first down so that you have manageable second and third downs, that's important. I think we had way too many second and longs yesterday. Also, on third down when we get into those third and manageable situations, we've got to convert.
When you're able to do that then you do get into a rhythm. Then you really can start tiring the defense out and working those guys over. If we're not completing balls on third downs, it makes for a long day to come off the field. Then you look and your defense is back on the field. I think we kind of hung our defense out to dry there quite a bit yesterday. They really stepped up big for us when they needed it. It was a great effort.
Why do defensive players get tired on a 15 play drive, but offensive players don't?
The offensive line, it's very different rushing the quarterback and playing the run. We do get tired I wouldn't say that, there are definitely guys who do get tired. I'd say probably it's mostly the linebackers and the defensive line that get the most tired. Defensive line are the biggest guys on the field, along with the o-line. But rushing the passer and blocking for a guy who's rushing the passer is a little bit different.
When the defensive line slows down in those no-huddle situations, that's when offense has a huge advantage. because if you can't rush, you're going to have a hard time playing defense. At times I thought we did tire them out a little bit, but I think there were still too many times where we didn't put enough pressure on them.
The least important question of the day, the towel under the left arm during the pregame, is that something you do at the driving range hitting golf balls too?
You would know that wouldn't you? That's a good golfer trick.
What does that do for you?
It really helps you stay really tight with your, I always feel the quarterback both elbows should always be pointed down. If you lift your left elbow up when you're throwing, that towel's going to fall out. It's just a little subtle reminder during pregame of trying to use good technique out there. Ultimately, it all comes down to technique with throwing passes.
When you throw completions it's for a reason, when you throw incompletions and you use bad technique there's a reason for that too. I'm always working on my technique and trying to be a more consistent player.]]>300232010-10-18 11:57:570000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lasthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30033
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30033300332010-10-18 12:03:410000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lasthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30212
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30212302122010-10-22 12:13:420000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastHOLD HOLD Matt Light on The Big Show: 'Really hard to understand' new NFL policyhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30839
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30839[/caption]
Patriots lineman Matt Light made his weekly appearance on The Big Show on Friday. Light joined the program to talk NFL policy on hits to the head, the return of Logan Mankins, and Sunday's game against the Browns. Light also included some ways for Pats fans to help give to charity and win a once-in-a-lifetime Patriots package. The affable lineman even offered his tips on how to River dance: "The real artists, the real guys like myself that do home dancing, we use slippers," he said.
Following are some highlights from the conversation. To hear the interview, visit The Big Show audio on demand page.

As a player, do you think there’s some confusion as to what you can do with the new NFL policy?

It’s tough to answer. I mean, look, I’m an offensive lineman, so you’ll never have to worry about seeing me launching or doing any of those things because that’s physically impossible for me to do. I’ll tell you what, I’m not sure confusing would be the right word. I think it’s definitely a fine line as to what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. And the problem is, is that what’s not acceptable is not only costly to you, but it’s also potentially costly to your entire team, your organization. And that’s something that I think is really kind of hard to understand, that end of it.

I mean, look, if it’s a big nasty hit, one that’s just very evident to everybody watching it, I think don’t think there’s anyone out there who has a problem with a player getting fined for something like that. But some of them are very difficult to tell and I think that’s where everybody has trouble with the ruling.

Does this become an issue in collective bargaining talks?

No doubt. No question, and that’s what your union is for. That’s what all the region directors, and the executive directors, that’s their job is to make sure that they have the best interest of the players at heart. And they do. It’s obviously going to be a big topic. One of the problems in the system is that a lot of times, the money is taken out before you even get a chance to have an appeal process. So that’s very difficult to understand from a player’s perspective. That’s something that we definitely need to address moving forward.

Is there a feeling this is more for high-profile players and less so for grunts of a team?

I don’t think it really comes down to that. I kind of understand what you’re getting at. We definitely need to protect some of these players that are defenseless players. I mean, your quarterbacks fall into that category, obviously receivers do, too. You can’t be all one-sided. At the end of the day, it has to be something you can look at and not be wishy-washy on one way or the other. It has to be either stamped, you know, good or bad. Right now, you can’t really do that with some of these hits and some of the things these guys are getting fined on.

Were you conversing with Logan Mankins during his holdout?

Yeah, Logan was obviously here. and, you know, I’d see him once a week. We’d get together, and I think his mindset has always been, you know, he wants to play football. If you know Logan Mankins, if you know the kind of guy he is, he wants to be out there on the field hitting people. And I'm sure that, obviously, not having the deal in place that he wants isn't the best. But he’s back to playing football and he’s going to do what he’s got to do. And that’s a good thing for this team.

How has he looked the last couple of days, conditioning-wise?

Yeah, there’s definitely that transition period you have to go through from, I guess, civilian life to the NFL. But it’s, uh, not one that I think will be too complicated for him. I mean, he’s in great shape, he knows this system and he knows how to play the game. I’m sure it will be like riding a bike for him.

So he’d have no problem jumping right in on Sunday?

Well I'll tell you, I’m not the coach so I won’t make that call. But I’m sure if it’s the Logan I know, he’ll be able to show up and do whatever he needs to get done.

You know the answer: It is what it is

Going back to Mike Pereira. He's got a great voice doesnt he? Its countless times we've had to sit in on meeting and listen to the tapes, they make all these tapes to hand out to the teams and you know, make sure you guys are aware of this and this is how we're going to call that. We don't get that anymore. We used to have the Mike Periera, very uh, I don't know how you say it, not really monotone, he just has a one-of-a-kind voice.

He was pretty critical. This is a whole new Mike Periera:

He's free. He's unleashed.

Tell us how great the Cleveland Browns are.

I’m sure you guys have heard a lot about them all week. We’ve had a pretty intense week, to be honest with you. We put a lot of work in. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect week by any means. There's a lot that you have to do differently playing a team like Cleveland, than what you do for obviously Miami, or some the other teams we know pretty well, whether it's the Colts. It’s just different, it’s a different mindset and how you go about your practice and the things you have to gear up for. I think when you look at the Cleveland Browns, they have a lot of momentum. They obviously won a huge game in New Orleans. Coming off that, and having time to prepare for us, it’s going to make it even more of an exciting game.

And I think that, their defense and what they can do, and then offensively some of the weapons they have on that side of the ball. And their kick return game, I’m sure you’ve heard about [Josh] Cribbs and that whole thing all week. You watch them on film and they’re special. They do some pretty interesting things.

Are there similarities between the stuff that the Patriots did defensively that you saw in practice for so long and the stuff that [former Patriots assistant coach and current Browns defensive coordinator] Rob Ryan is doing now, or does Rob Ryan have a whole different scheme?

I don’t know if it’s a whole different scheme. I think they went out and they got players that they felt would really fit, you know, the way they want to play. You look at some of these different guys, some of the guys up front, [Brian] Schaefering and [Kenyon] Coleman. I mean, these are guys that I think play the system really well. They are very disciplined in all the things that they do. They’ve obviously made some big plays. They've got [David] Bowens and [Matt] Roth, and I think they got the kind of guys that they want.

You watch them on film, they do some interesting things. They have a lot of different personnel packages. They come at you from about every angle you can attack an offense from. And uh, you’ve definitely got to stay on your toes. You’ve got to be alert for every situation.

You're going to see defensive end Scott Fujita on your left shoulder: what problems does he presents on Sunday:

Well he does a lot of things in the defense. To some degree is kind of a guy they all look to make sure they've got a line drive. He’s gifted athletically. He’s a tall angular guy, but he can rush with a lot of power. It’s not just always off the edge, they’ll bring him up the middle. He fits a lot of different roles within their defense. He’s an active player, he’s obviously made some big plays for them. Coming off last year and then all the things they did in New Orleans with him, you’ve got to gear up for a lot when facing him no doubt.

You’ve got a raffle for your foundation?

We do, yes. Kicked off already. We teamed up with netraffle.org, which is run through Celebrities for Charity. Basically, it’s a chance for any fan of the New England Patriots to get a once in a lifetime opportunity. You guys have been to all the events over the years and supported different non-profits and charities in the area, and there are times where there are some of these events where it would be tough for an average fan to bid on some of these items that go for $10,000, $20,000 dollars. This is an opportunity through netraffle for $2 you can buy a ticket, there’s a five ticket minimum, so you're spending 10 bucks.

You have a shot to be at the Colts game Nov. 21, after the game be on the field, get presented with this unbelievable painting from a renowned artist Brian Fox of [Tom] Brady and [Wes] Welker. And then Brady and Welker were gracious enough to come out and sign the piece and do a little meet and greet. So it’s a pretty cool deal.

]]>308392010-11-06 21:23:090000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idKeyshawn Johnson on D&H:same Pats, different "D"http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30996
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=30996Keyshawn Johnson joined the Dale & Holley show on Tuesday afternoon to talk about Randy Moss, the Patriots offense and the AFC hierarchy.
Johnson tried to put the Patriots offense in perspective without Randy Moss.
"This team this year, outside of the running game, it looks like the championship Patriots teams. Don’t talk about the defense, I’m talking about the offense, that’s what it looks like, it looked like that."
The former Jet and Cowboy receiver also said that the Steelers are clearly the class of the AFC.
"New England has a three-time winning Super Bowl champion at quarterback, and what else? Besides the head coach. Defensively, they're not that good. When you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers they have a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and a defense that's lights out."
Below are highlights from the interview. To listen to the full interview go the Dale & Holley audio on demand page.
On Patriots offense without Randy Moss:
Offensively, he is the most dangerous football player, wide receiver in the history of the National Football League in terms of the deep ball. When you don’t have that added ingredient to your mix, it’s not going to be the same, it’s not going to taste the same. T he vertical stretch game, that the Patriots had a couple of years ago, before[Tom] Brady’s inury, the record breaking season, even with [Matt] Cassell: two or three of those things, whether you completed them or not would strike fear in opposing secondaries. It would keep defensive coordinators up all night long, that’s not the case right now.
Because Randy Moss is not on the team, because he’s not lifting the coverage for a Wes Welker, for the tight end [Aaron] Hernandez. With Deion Branch, who’s a better route runner that Randy Moss, obviously not as talented, not as tall but he gives you some things [even though] he doesn’t strike fear in anyone. It’s a different type of passing game now, it’s more of, think back to when they were winning super bowls and playing really well. Tons of stuff that they were doing then, is the same as they are doing now. But your eyes tell you something different because of what you’ve seen over the last couple of years.
This team this year, outside of the running game, it looks like the championship Patriots teams. Don’t talk about the defense, I’m talking about the offense, that’s what it looks like, it looked like that. They add Randy Moss , a couple years and you go “Ooo this is really good, some icing on the cake.” So it looked different to you, now it looks different to you again because he’s not there. So you can’t take that mind and shift it back to the Patriots winning ways, opposed to the Patriots record breaking year, so it’s all like an illusion for you the fans, the people who follow the Patriots. It’s just an illusion that’s all it is.
Would you want Randy Moss on your team?
I personally would have Randy Moss on my team because I can do certain things with him as the coordinator, where I don’t need him to do the heavy lifting. I don’t need him to do the heavy lifting, or go blocking, I’m not asking him to do that. I like to stick to grocery store analogies because we’re in Boston, cooking and that whole deal. When you walk down the aisle in a grocery store, you pick up something, you read the back of the box and you’re unfamiliar with it and you see what’s in it and this is what you’re going to get when you go home.
You know what you’re getting with Randy Moss, you’re happy and that’s OK. All you need to know what you’re getting: he’s not going to block, he’s not going to run crisp routes, he’s not going to do certain things, he’s going to say what’s on his mind, if you’re OK with that, you can win with that. If you know how to coach that, if you don’t know how to coach that like Brad Childress in Minnesota, you can’t win with it. Because one of the things Moss is, is very smart, pro football players are smarter than what you think.
Why do people always say Randy Moss is smart?
He doesn’t always say smart things according to you, according to you. He handled his press conference, that was smart to him. Because he knows the football game, he understands concepts, he can see it coming before the coaches can see it coming. He realized the Patriots weren’t going to pay him, he’s smart enough to understand that. He realized when he walked into Minnesota’s locker room and had two or three conversations with Brad Childress and Childress and Childress’ humble curse.
On Moss knowing Minnesota wasn’t the place to be:
He knew that that wasn’t the answer. He was with a better situation in New England. You just left the greatest coach in the modern era to something different, he recognized that. When everyone else sits around and is like, “O well he [Childress]’s really smart, he’s a great genius play-caller.” Moss isn’t dumb. You may think that he does dumb things at times but everything that he does is calculated.
On whether Moss concerns him as a role model for younger players:
No because before I would acquire him, I would probably let those young guys know, he does certain things that’s OK, and you can’t do that. You can’t do what he does. That’s how you get through to guys, you have to be honest with guys, you have to be real with guys. You can’t sit up there and play games, you have to [tell them] you can’t do what he does. If he decides he’s not going to practice one day, and I approve it as a head coach, you don’t try it. Because everybody is treated different, don’t think that Tom Brady isn’t treated any differently than Wes Welker. Don’t think for one minute he [Brady]’s not [treated differently]. That’s the way coaches are, everybody’s treated differently.
Best team in AFC
It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m a Patriots fans, I like what they’ve done over the years, I like how they organization, I like a lot of stuff about New England, but let’s not kid ourselves. New England has a three- time Super Bowl winning champion at quarterback and what else besides the head coach? Defensively they are not that good. When you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have a two-time winning Super Bowl quarterback and a defense that’s lights out.
The Baltimore Ravens have a defense that’s lights out and a quarterback that’s OK, he’s OK. He [Joe Flacco] made a good throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat Charlie Batch, when Ben Roethlisberger was still out. Number 18 [Peyton Manning] in Indianpolis, they have him and what else. So you start to break things down, Pittsburgh has a quarterback and a defense, none of these other teams have both.
[Mark] Sanchez is too young. They have a good defense but the common denominator here is a quarterback. All these other teams in the AFC have a quarterback or a defense. You look at San Diego, they have Philip Rivers and nothing else. You look at a young Kansas City Chiefs team, they’ve got everything else except for a quarterback. Young exciting defense, young players flying around the ball but my Trojan guy Matt Cassell can’t make all the throws. And when you need him to throw the ball in a tight situation, he just can’t seem to make the throw.
I love Belichick. It’s so funny when you look at coach Belichick and you just go back over the years, he’s an auctioneer. He goes “who wants Deion Branch for a five [round draft pick]? A three? A two? O Seattle you want to take him for a one, sold to you. Who wants [Richard] Seymour for a two, o the Raiders you want him for a one. Take him. Who wants Randy Moss? I’ll take him for a five, o a three? And then he gets the three threes from Minnesota. It’s just funny how he could get rid of certain players, get those picks and continue to have success.]]>309962010-11-09 15:29:520000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_idDeion Branch on D&H:http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=31717
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=31717317172010-11-29 13:40:030000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastDeion Branch back in the Pats-Jets frayhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=31824
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=31824318242010-12-01 20:30:330000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastDanny Woodhead postgame transcripthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=32082
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=32082
Q: A number of guys have played in a ton of big games and there are a lot who haven’t. What as the atmosphere like previous to going on the field?
DW: It was a big-time atmosphere, division game with both teams 9-2 and we needed to win the game. We were able to come out and get the victory and that’s the most important thing.
Q: So you were able to resist getting caught up in the hype and caught up in what the other team was saying?
DW: The hype is not really a big deal for this team; we are not really worried about that. We are worried about going to work every single day and getting ready and preparing so on a night like this we can come out and do our best.
Q: You looked like you found pretty favorable match-ups, was that you or Tom [Brady] or was that you guys?
DW: There are a lot of good players on this team. Coaches do a great job of putting us in positions to succeed and I think you saw that a little bit tonight.
Q: How impressive is it to see the efficiency that Tom [Brady] can put together drives?
DW: He is Tom Brady. Everyone knows that. He has been able to do some pretty good things throughout his career. I don’t know if stuff like that really surprises anyone.
Q: Was there any point during the game when you looked over to the other sideline and you reflected on where you have come?
DW: Not really. This is where I am. I am a New England Patriot. Was I over there at one time? Yeah, but that isn’t something that I dwell on or ever want to dwell on because that’s not who I am now. I am a New England Patriot and that’s the most important thing. I’m going to do my best for this team.]]>320822010-12-07 02:24:130000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastThe 'ridiculous' Devin Hester leads the fastest group of weapons in the NFLhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=32191
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000321912010-12-09 21:06:320000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0Schefter on D&C: Bears will winhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=32212
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=32212[/caption]
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter made his weekly appearance on the Dennis and Callahan show Friday morning, and was immediately asked to justify his upset pick of the Bears defeating the Patriots. Before he got into the analysis, however, Schefter was sure to remind listeners he's been successful picking against New England so far this season. "I picked against the Patriots twice this year," began Schefter. "I picked against them when they played the Jets earlier in the year and I picked against them when they played in Cleveland. My picks record this year has been horrendous, but in isolated games like isolated upsets, that's not been bad. That's not been embarrassing."
Schefter was then asked why this would be another one of those isolated upsets. He responded by first heaping some praise on the Pats. "I think a couple of things. I think that, first and foremost, I get uneasy and squeamish every time I pick against the Patriots because, in theory, you should never pick against them. And I mean that. They are that good, they are that dominant, they are, in my opinion, the best team in football right now."
Predictably, Schefter soon changed his tone. "But I see them coming off that Monday night game where they can't play any better than that on a short week, travelling, playing a team that's going to be fired up playing like it's their Super Bowl. And I just Chicago is going to come out and play a great defensive game.
"It won't surprise me if the Patriots go in there and pick of four passes and sack Jay Cutler five times and win the game and make a fool of me. That wouldn't be the first time that's happened. But I just think the ingredients are there for this to be a very difficult game for the Patriots. That's all."
Following are the rest of the highlights from the interview, including Schefter's thoughts on the Patriots "rebuilding" effort, Cam Newton's draft status, and if he believes Brett Favre will play come Sunday. To listen to the interview, visit the Dennis and Callahan audio on demand page.
Did any football expert see this young Patriots defense, which now has 18 interceptions, developing this quickly, to this level?
Let me say this. Maybe not to this level, but there were two teams that people talked about at the beginning of the season that I didn't understand where they were talking about them rebuilding, and reloading, and lots of young talent, and all that. And that was Philadelphia and New England. ...
I looked at New England and I know there was a lot of talk about the Jets and the Dolphins and Brandon Marshall, but I picked the Patriots to win that division and I thought that the defense was better. I know they were missing the [Tedy] Bruschis, and the [Richard] Seymours and the Ty Warrens and the Leigh Boddens and some of the injured guys, some of the retired guys, some of the traded guys and all of that.
But you can't give an organization this good that many picks, and have them take so many players, and not have a lot of them work out over time. It just can't be. This team is loaded to bear for future seasons. Next year it's absurd. It's almost criminal that they're going to have six picks in the first three rounds, including three of the first 32 picks
Where do you see the probable Heisman winner Cam Newton going in the draft? Is he a top 10 pick? Is he a future starting quarterback in the NFL
Very funny that you should ask that question because the lead in the Ten Spot column today is, I spoke to a front office executive this week and I had him assess where each of the Heisman candidates that will be in New York for tomorrow night's presentation will wind up going in the draft. What he told me about Cam Newton ... in his mind Cam Newton would be a mid first round pick. As a quarterback.
And do you know who he compared him to? He compared him to Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Freeman. He said he's a guy that's really difficult to bring down. He can beat you with his arm, he can beat you with his legs. He's not overly accurate, he needs to work on that, can't really throw on the run great. But [he] is a force, has tremendous physical ability.
I have it right here, I can read it right here. What he said on Cam Newton, word-for-word: Tough to bring down, ;ike Ben and Freeman in terms of his ability to stay on his feet and make plays. Strong arm. Inconsistent with accuracy. Can beat you with his feet and his arms. Too talented for the college level. Biggest issues will be adjusting to the speed of the game and being able to make consistent plays on the move as a passer. Misses some throws but has a huge arm. A top 15 pick.
Is this the week [that Brett Favre doesn't play and snaps his 297 game starting streak]?
Yes, this is the week I believe Brett Favre doesn't play. I believe he's going to miss this game. And you know what? I thought that for the first time, we have a great doctor at ESPN who does sports medicine analysis on air. His name is Doctor Kaplan. And this is actually very funny. Monday afternoon we're doing a segment together on SportsCenter and he tells me, "This is it. This is it. This is the injury that's going to knock him out." And I go, "Really? Can I tweet that?" And he goes, "Yeah."
So I said, "What can I tweet?" He said, "This will be the injury that knocks out Brett Favre." And I go, "Woah. Really? That strong? Like this is the injury that does it?" And he says, "Well, just say probably compromises his season." He softens it up. But there was a clear impression I got from him, distinct. He did not think Brett Favre would play this week.
So I go to meet Mort [analyst Chris Mortensen], we had a little pregame meal this past Monday before the show. And I'm sitting there and literally we start eating and I go, "By the way hey Mort. Dr. Kaplan told me Brett Favre's not going to play this week." And Mort physically and literally spit out his food at the table he was sitting at.
If he's standing upright and it's his decision, won't he start the game?
I don't think he can throw.
What does he care? He just wants to keep the streak alive.[Dino, in an imitated Favre voice] Gerry, he said many times he wants to play at a high level not just play.
That's a weak Favre imitation, but let me say this. I don't think that he's capable of going out there, of course he's capable of going out there and taking a snap, but you know what? He would be lambasted for that. Look at when he took the dive for [Michael] Strahan and Strahan got the sack record and people remember that sack for that. People would be all over him for just going out there to just take a snap.
Let me give you an idea of this record. ... Brett Favre has now started 297 consecutive games. 297. Eli Manning, on Sunday when they play the Vikings, will become the sixth quarterback in NFL history to start his 100th straight game. So he is basically right now 198 games behind Brett Favre. He will have to play every game through the 2022 season to break Favre's record.
Wasn't Dr. Kaplan the guy that described the injury as similar to when your chest hits the steering wheel in a car crash?
I didn't hear that. ... Basically, I think all you had to hear was Ed Werder in Minneapolis. He stalks Favre, he's a stalker to Favre. I wouldn't be surprised if one day Favre filed a restraining order against Ed Werder. Ed Werder was talking the other day about how Favre couldn't put on his socks and his shirt. What does that tell you? It tells you everything. He couldn't tie his shoes!
He couldn't zip his fly.
He couldn't zip it. He couldn't send his texts.
Does the NFL do anything on that other front that we're talking about?
I don't think so. I don't think so. I have not gotten that sense. I certainly don't think he's getting suspended. If the streak's over and he's suspended who cares anyway? If the streak ends this week, it doesn't really matter. So, maybe there might be some minor form of discipline. The NFL has tried to be fairly exhaustive and thorough in its research, and I just don't know that they are going to be able to come up with anything.
They're saying wind chill of -6 to -10 in Chicago for the game. Northwest wind of 26 miles an hour.
Again, I come back to the fact that it's Bears weather. It's the Bears Super Bowl. The Patriots are coming off the great game. You understand where I'm coming from right?
You're due for a loss. You've picked against the Pats in the two games they've lost, you're due to have that streak end.
Well, we'll see.]]>322122010-12-10 10:25:240000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastMatt Cassell offers insight into Tom Brady's lessons in leadershiphttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=33381
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=33381333812011-01-08 16:19:570000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockOwens and Ochocinco would love to play for Rex Ryanhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34305
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34305343052011-01-26 17:27:020000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_locktestesthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34610
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34610346102011-01-31 14:58:420000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockNFL Draft's potential Patriots: Stanford's Chris Owusuhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34394
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34394Chris Owusu
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Stanford
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 201 pounds
Achievments: Second-team Walter Camp Foundation All-America honors as a kickoff return specialist (2009); All-Pac-10 honors on special teams (2009); led Pac-10 and was ranked fifth nationally in kickoff return average with 31.5 yards per return (2009); Preseason first-team Sporting News and Playboy All-America selection as a kickoff returner (2010); ranks first on Stanford’s all-time return yardage list with 1,493 yards in three seasons.
What he brings: As evidenced by his career kickoff return numbers, Owusu has blazing speed that makes him an extreme threat downfield at the wide receiver position, as well as returning kickoffs. The junior Cardinal had his most successful season in 2009 as a sophomore, reeling in 682 yards receiving and five touchdowns on 37 receptions. At 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, Owusu isn’t exactly the smallest receiver, but he still gave kickoff coverage teams fits with his ability to explode through holes using his incredible stride and acceleration.
Where the Patriots could get him: Rounds 4 through 7
Notes: The speedy Owusu saw his numbers decline after his sophomore season due to injuries. He played in only seven games in 2010, including the Cardinals’ win in the Discover Orange Bowl. The wide receiver missed six games with a multitude of ailments, which included knee and ankle problems, along with a concussion, in his third year at Stanford.
That said, Owusu can be a multi-dimensional threat as a wide receiver and return man if he stays healthy. In high school, Owusu was an all-state sprinter on the track team, breaking the Ventura County meet record in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 10.65 seconds in 2007.
It’ll be interesting to see how Owusu handles the wide receiver role in an offense without quarterback Andrew Luck and, potentially, Jim Harbaugh. But either way, Owusu will have an impact as a role player on special teams.
Recent articles:NFL Draft Scout]]>343942011-01-28 13:20:290000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockNFL Draft's Potential Patriots: Greg Littlehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34397
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=34397WEEI.com will continue to offer daily insight and analysis regarding options that may be available to the Patriots when it comes to the 2011 NFL draft.
Greg LittlePosition: Running Back
School: North Carolina
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight:]]>343972011-01-28 13:19:280000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockOne man's take on Cam Newton http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=35484
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=35484 Cam Newton (just as there probably has anywhere else). Many came away from his press conference impressed, while some still had uneasy feeling about the Heisman-winner. Consider the WEEI.com camp split.
There are two sides to it, and (in a sign that probably didn't bode well for my case) the spirited debate found me on a side opposite the head honcho of this blog in Christopher Price. Watching the way he conducted himself, there was just something that just screamed "he's still a kid" about him.
On the field, Newton's talent is unmistakable, and the argument definitely could be made that if you use the term literally, he is this draft's top quarterback "prospect."
What
One thing]]>354842011-02-26 21:43:040000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastA trip to Apopkahttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=35826
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=35826358262011-03-10 21:07:580000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockJerod Mayo on The Big Show: 'I'm doing business like it's a normal year'http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37589
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37589[/caption]
Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo joined The Big Show Tuesday to talk about the NFL lockout, his work in the offseason, and the high praise he received from Tedy Bruschi and Bill Belichick. To hear the full interview, check out The Big Show audio on demand page.
With the NFL's owners and players still working to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, no one can be sure whether or not the league will have a season in 2011. Despite this uncertainly, Mayo seemed confident the NFL would be able to make a deal.
"I'm basically assuming that everything will get worked out," he said. "[NFL executives] set these deadlines and hopefully something gets done before the deadline comes. I'm just sitting back, waiting. I'm watching the news just like you guys are, waiting for a phone call.
"I'm doing business like it's a normal year to be honest with you … I'm still training at the same speed, doing the same things I would be doing if we did have a full offseason. So I'm still up there in Foxboro just working out and hopefully getting to camp on time. That's how I approach it and until I hear differently, that's what I'm going to do."
It's been nearly impossible to avoid talk of the NFL lockout, and Mayo said lately he's been trying to work through the up-and-downs of the negotiation process. At the same time, he admitted the work stoppage has raised questions about whether players will be in shape if and when the season starts.
"You know for a minute there I was living and dying with it," said Mayo. "It was like an emotional roller coaster pretty much. At the end of the day now I'm just waiting for the big news, and from what I hear from my teammates working out and things like that. I'm not really a diehard watcher [of lockout coverage] right now. I'm kind of drained from all the emotional roller coaster rides we've taken along the way.
"From keeping in contact with my teammates, I think guys are really working hard. At the end of the day, you wont know what kind of shape that guys are in until they get to Foxboro. When the deal finally does get done, you have to take a look to see what kind of shape guys are in and proceed."
As for NFL rookies, Mayo said first-year players will be at a huge disadvantage because of their limited access to coaches and teammates during the lockout.
"I think it sets them back a little bit. I learned a lot coming in as a rookie just being with the older guys … just being with [Bruschi] and Mike Vrabel and things like that, just learning how to play football, how to be a professional, on and off the field. Those guys showed me how to break down film, doing things like that during the offseason, watching the previous year. Just doing things like that, you really learn a lot about the system, you learn a lot about your teammates, and the overall camaraderie I think is kind of clicking right now but at the end of the day it's going to be a crash course when those [rookies] get here because they're kind of putting them behind the eight ball a little bit."
Speaking of Bruschi, the former Patriot linebacker had nothing but praise for Mayo in an interview last month. At a golf tournament on June 27, Bruschi said, "I truly see [Mayo] being the best linebacker in the game within two years. I think that's how good he is." Mayo said he appreciated the vote of confidence.
"It's a very humbling thing for him to say. At the same time he's one of the greatest linebackers to play in New England. They love him out here. I appreciate the compliment and I just continue to work hard and get better each and every week."
Belichick also had some kind words for Mayo during NFL Network's Top 100 players program, saying, “He makes a ton of tackles, he made a ton of tackles at Tennessee. He played inside linebacker, you could see his range, his explosion, his ability to make plays sideline-to-sideline. He's a football guy.” Mayo said he's not used to getting those kinds of compliments from his coach.
"That's not the norm at all," he said. "Everybody knows coach Belichick, it's kind of hard to get compliments like that, but I'm going to save those and post them on my wall so every day I know I can get better and work harder to become a better football player. You wanna go out there and live up to his expectations. He's set high expectations for us so we want to go out there and work hard to meet them."]]>375892011-07-05 17:37:150000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastAFC East Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37962
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37962Welcome to the 2011 fantasy football season! What follows is a breakdown of the AFC East from a fantasy football perspective. As we near the beginning of what is finally the NFL offseason, we are in totally new territory as far as fantasy information is concerned.

Normally, at this point of the year we are salivating for the opening of training camp and the onset of position battles and such. But with 2011’s lock-out, three months of free agency are compressed into just a few weeks. We will be dealing with shortened camps, rookies who have had zero offseason work with their new employers, and year two players who have not yet had a ‘full‘ offseason with their teams. All these things add up to a football season that will have more than its usual share of quirks and twists. On the positive side, we haven’t suffered from Brett Favre over-exposure in 2011...yet.

As WEEI’s new provider of fantasy football content, we at Rotobahn.com will keep you informed and well-prepared for what is going to be the wildest August in the history of the NFL. We kick it off with the AFC East and will follow-up with previews of all eight of the NFL’s divisions. Rest assured that by the time your fantasy draft or drafts roll around, we’ll have you ready to chew up and spit out the competition.

New England Patriots

Tom Brady left no doubt in 2010 that the Brady Era has a ways to go. He played some of his best football after Randy Moss was dealt. We saw vintage Brady form where he is basically tendency-free using all of his weapons.

While there’s no doubt that Brady has a few good years left, there is also no doubt that New England is better prepared for life without Brady than they have been in some time. And, they are still loaded with extra picks in 2012. As we stated last preseason, the rumors of Belichick’s mortality were greatly exaggerated, and we like the 2011 team even better than the 2010 crew.

New England has been making a commitment to youth in recent years and it shows. They have also made a real commitment to the ground game. They are in solid shape with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead handling most of the duties in the backfield, but they added legit competition in the form of rookies Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. And see what they have done adding youth and athleticism at both tackle positions: this year, they selected Nate Solder at 17 overall and he will likely form a top-flight bookend combo with RT Sebastian Vollmer, who is already playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Brady is going to be a very stable QB1 in fantasy leagues this year, and if there is a defined lead back, that player will also be very solid. Right now our money is on the Law Firm, but if BenJarvus is out-performed by one of the rookies, Belichick will not hesitate to play the guy who gives him the best chance to win. Perhaps not mentioned enough is Green-Ellis’ ball security. He has not fumbled in his three years as a pro. He’s had 329 carries in his three seasons, so it is a legit edge that he has over the kids that most folks aren’t really considering. As we all know, Belichick detests turnovers even more than the typical NFL head coach does.

The Patriots’ receivers are going to be just fine, but as far as fantasy is concerned, we have to see who the starters are going to be. If the Pats land Ocho Cinco or Steve Smith, then there will be a clear ripple effect to players like Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Brandon Tate.

At tight end, we love both of their young players, but Rob Gronkowski is clearly the more complete player at this stage. Aaron Hernandez is going to help New England more than he will your fantasy team unless he can create a more regular role for himself as a hybrid receiver.

New York Jets

The Jets are very interesting when you look at their team through the prism of this crazy 2011 offseason. They have a ton of key players who are going to hit the open market, and have more flux than most of the elite teams. This may end up being no big deal, but when you look at the Jets as constructed at the end of 2010, what strikes you is their potential for continuity at most of the key positions. However, when you look at their free agent list, that concept is in some jeopardy.

At the top of the list are their starting wide receivers. Both Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes are likely to hit the free agent market. Now we are hearing rumors that Dan Snyder wants Holmes and that could be a problem for the cap-conscious Jets. Memories of Laveranues Coles and the bizarre 2003 offseason come to mind.

The Jets run a complex jargon-laden offense and have a young quarterback. Returning Holmes and Edwards would go a long way to ensuring a smooth camp and having a solid offense in 2011. Also testing the free agent waters is WR and Wildcat QB Brad Smith, who has made a lot of big plays for the Jets since Rex Ryan took over.

The ground game will continue to evolve and the Jets snagged another nice young back in round four by nabbing Bilal Powell, who will compete with Joe McKnight for carries behind Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Greene looks like the back to have for fantasy, and looks like a good solid RB2. We don’t see any of the other backs as viable fantasy options unless Greene goes down. That said, all of the Jets backs have fantasy potential if their share of the job is big enough. This team is going to run the ball a lot and they block for the run very well.

The tight end will be Dustin Keller. His fantasy potential is very much linked to the wide receiver situation. If Holmes, Edwards or both were to leave, Keller absolutely gets a bump in fantasy value and is probably a TE1. If both stay, he is a solid TE2 with high volatility week-to-week.

Mark Sanchez is still the guy, and, like Keller, his fantasy stock is tied to the free agent receivers and how things shake out. If the Jets keep the offense intact, Sanchez will be startable on a lot of weeks. If they lose players, he is likely to remain at the same level he’s been for fantasy purposes.

Miami Dolphins

Miami seems to be a team in perpetual transition.

This whole offense is currently up in the air. The Ricky Williams-Ronnie Brown offense seems to be finished and we don’t know who the quarterback is going to be.

The new backfield is still a work in progress. Rookie RB Daniel Thomas was selected 62nd overall and is the starting point. It would seem likely that they will add a veteran capable of carrying the load in case the rookie fails to live up to expectations.

The return of Brown or Williams is a possibility, but both seem likely to test the market at this point and we strongly doubt that both could return.

Brandon Marshall will return and we expect better production in his second season. The quarterback spot is a huge factor as to where we will be drafting him. We very much want to see another option, if not a replacement, for Chad Henne, who has been a disappointment for the most part.

Receivers Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are still around and they should return to their usual roles unless a free agent is brought in. Mike Sims-Walker is the latest rumor. We’re betting on them going with youth. We’ll also be keeping an eye on Edmond Gates out of Abilene Christian. Miami nabbed him in round four. Gates ran an eye-popping 4.31 at the combine. He makes for a nice mid-round selection in dynasty leagues. We think Gates could start at some point, and maybe even some point this year. The lack of any official offseason work will hurt him.

This team, more than most, is largely going to be defined after the lockout ends. We’ll see how things shake out and rank ‘em accordingly.

Buffalo Bills

Ryan Fitzpatrick seems to have brought the Buffalo offense some semblance of stability. He’s shown that he can make use of their weapons. With a decent ground game, the Bills’ offense might not be as bad as a lot of folks seem to think. Their division is going to be a big problem, but they seem to be moving in a good direction.

Steve Johnson seems to be a real talent, though he may be a bit overvalued in drafts. We’ll be tracking his ADP closely. Veteran receiver Lee Evans missed a few games in 2010, but with that in mind, his stats are still brutal. Evans is still a big talent and may be worth nabbing late in drafts. As usual, Buffalo is claiming they want him more involved. Specifically, HC Chan Gailey says he will be running more short and intermediate routes. That would certainly help. We’ll see.

The backfield is volatile, but right now we are taking Fred Jackson well ahead of CJ Spiller. Spiller was a high pick and if he shows signs of life, he will be given more opportunity--but Jackson has clearly out-played him to date. This is a situation to keep an eye on in preseason. The lack of an organized offseason is going to hurt Spiller a lot more than it will Jackson, so keep that in mind.

It’s unlikely that the Bills are going to make any big free agent moves on offense unless they can add a solid vet to the offensive line.

]]>379622011-07-25 19:40:430000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockAFC North Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37964
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37964This is the second installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the AFC South.

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco is ‘The Man’ at quarterback and he could end up being a steal in drafts this year. You will be able to land him as your backup and there’s a very good chance that he will end up being a solid weekly starter. We love the idea of nabbing a guy like Flacco in round ten, especially if we waited on our starter and took a guy like Cutler or Freeman in round eight or nine.

The Ravens added two quality receiving prospects in the draft. Torrey Smith was nabbed in round two and they picked up Tandon Doss in the fourth. Both players are capable of contributing as rookies and could add some dimension to the Ravens’ passing attack.

The presence of the rookies will not help Anquan Boldin, who can still play, but has begun to fade. The same can be said for Derrick Mason.

Flacco will have nice depth to work with, but no stars. The tight end group fits right in with that concept. Todd Heap is still the leader, but Ed Dickson looked pretty good in his limited time.

In the backfield, Ray Rice is a beast and will have a bigger share than most backs do these days. If Willis McGahee does not return, he may even see an increase in red-zone touches. Rookie Anthony Allen may also get a shot in that role. The big man hails from Ga. Tech and has some potential as a handcuff if McGahee leaves.

While we expect this team to run more than most, we also expect Flacco to expand his game and produce more consistent numbers. He doesn’t have the receivers to be elite, but the overall offense gives him a solid chance at being a viable fantasy asset.

We also like Ray Rice in a bounce back campaign. We’re still drafting him in round one.

Cleveland Browns

Not as barren as in year’s past, Cleveland is still a dicey source of fantasy talent. As much as we like him, QB Colt McCoy is a reach to be of any real value, and that has as much to do with his limited arm as it does with his limited weapons.

This could begin to change if rookie WR Greg Little develops quickly, but that may be a lot to ask from an unpolished prospect that sat out the 2010 season on a suspension.

The one seemingly solid source of fantasy production is Peyton Hillis, but as much as we like him, he has not done it over the long haul, and his style of play will lead to injuries. He may be a bit over-valued for our taste, but that remains to be seen.

One thing we like about Hillis in 2011 is that he will be playing for a new contract, unless he gets one between now and opening day. We’ll keep you posted.

Montario Hardesty is officially a high-risk player now, but he also projects to be healthy and is another potential issue for Hillis owners.

TE Ben Watson reestablished himself in 2010 and we like him as a fringe starter in most formats. Only his injury history keeps him from legit TE1 status.

We like Little to be the primary target among the receivers, but that remains to be seen--and how the rest of the groups slots in is also somewhat up in the air. We like Mohamed Massaquoi as he enters his third year and his second year in this offense. He could finally gain a level of consistency working with McCoy.

Brian Robiskie and Josh Cribbs will still provide competition and will be involved in the offense themselves.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Not a lot of drama here. There’s some competition at the second and third receiver positions as Hines Ward is finally showing signs of age. He could lose some snaps to Emmanuel Sanders. Could Ward’s DWI arrest be a factor? We’ll see.

There’s some competition behind Rashard Mendenhall, who was one of our guys last year. We like him again in 2011 as a legit stud fantasy back. Popular theory on the best back to draft as a handcuff to Mendy leads us to Isaac Redman, but do not discount Jonathan Dwyer, whom we see as a better candidate to be a lead ball carrier, which is what they’d need if Mendenhall were to go down. This is a competition to watch, and know the facts on as we progress through camp and preseason.

The rest of this team is pretty easy to figure...Ben Roethlisberger is a very solid fantasy QB and we like him as a solid QB1, but behind the elite. Their TE will be Heath Miller, who makes a strong fantasy back-up or bye-week replacement, but he’s unlikely to produce TE1 numbers. Lastly, we are sold on Mike Wallace as a WR1 for fantasy; draft this kid with confidence. He and Big Ben are a great combo.

The Steelersdefense is one of the few we feel comfortable recommending as a fantasy starter. They’ll be near the top of our rankings.

Cincinnati Bengals

This team has some nice long-term fantasy players, but what a mess they are in the present tense. Their franchise quarterback’s performance has fallen off a cliff. Carson Palmer’s stats were far better than his actual performance. His arm just isn’t what it was. To top things off, Palmer seems committed to either being traded or retiring, and the Bengals seem unwilling to acquiesce.

At this point, we see rookie Andy Dalton out of TCU as their quarterback for 2011. He’s a great kid and he’s a winner, but he has a lot to prove coming into the NFL’s AFC North from the spread offense they ran at TCU.

We don’t see him as much of a short-term asset, but the larger issue for fantasy will be his effect on the Bengal’s other skill position players. Here we think Dalton will be o.k. He looked good enough as a collegian to see him getting his receivers some stats. For this reason, we think the Bengals will have some viable fantasy players...though predicting who those will be is going to be a challenge.

Let’s quickly touch on the skill players with potential for 2011.... Cedric Benson is a free agent and his return is key for the Bengals, who have Bernard Scott and not much else waiting in the wings. We do not view Scott as a primary back, but more of a change-of-pace back. Our anticipation is that Cincy will either bring back Benson, who has been solid, or bring in another vet to share the backfield with Scott. If Scott ends up being the lone back, his ADP will rise for better or worse. We’ll stay on top of this one for you.

The situation at wide receiver is similar. We just don’t know what players will be on the roster. Terrell Owens has been lost to injury, perhaps for good, so there’s at least one starting spot open. There could be another as there are varying rumors that have Ocho Cinco leaving via trade or salary cap-related release.

This will provide some opportunities for rookie mega-stud AJ Green, but also in the mix are Jerome Simpson, Jordan Shipley and to a lesser extent, Andre Caldwell. Receiver looks like it is going to be a position of strength in the future for the Bengals.

Adding to the strength at receiver is young tight end Jermaine Gresham, who enters his second season with a solid rookie campaign under his belt. Gresham has a very high ceiling and is a name all fantasy leaguers should know. He has the potential to be a TE1 for fantasy as soon as this year.

The Bengals’ situation is characteristic of many 2011 NFL teams...tons of flux and few settled situations. We’ll have it sorted out for you as we move through August towards our fantasy drafts.

]]>379642011-07-25 19:42:270000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockAFC South Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37966
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37966This is the third installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the AFC West.

Tennessee Titans

This is a pretty ugly team and it’s hard to comprehend how they came to the conclusion that they are better off without Jeff Fisher at the helm, but in fairness, we also like Mike Munchak as his replacement. Still, Munchak will have a learning curve and this is a really tough year to be a rookie head coach. Top that off with no answer at quarterback, a highly talented receiver that can’t seem to stay off the police blotter and a franchise player that is not going to report without a big contract...and you have a team with issues...and a team you really can’t count on for fantasy purposes just yet.

Things could certainly change. Chris Johnson will hopefully get his money and it’s hard to fathom how they could deem him unworthy. He’s been their best player and he’s too good to risk playing on a short-term deal. If the Titans play chicken with Johnson, this doesn’t bode well for them. A serious organization knows when it’s time to pony-up. CJ is arguably the best running back on the face of the Earth. If you want him, you must pay him. That’s reality.

Kenny Britt is another story. As talented as he is, we would understand if they dealt him just to end the headache. That said, Britt is so talented that they may opt to help him through his immature ways. If they do, we, as fantasy GMs, must consider him as a fantasy asset if we can obtain him at a fair price. We’ll be following Britt’s preseason closely.

Even if Britt sees the light and finds “football Jesus”, he still could be limited by poor quarterback play. Of course, it’s not like he was playing with Joe Namath last year when he posted a few bodacious weeks and showed what he is capable of. Let us be clear, Britt has WR1 ability. Of course, so does Randy Moss. It’s all about measuring that high ceiling against the inherent risk in taking a player that could flake-out on you at any time.

Back to Munchak. We like his hiring for Chris Johnson’s fantasy fortunes. As CJ’s old line coach, he knows what makes his best player tick. In this regard, the coaching change could be positive as long as Johnson’s contract situation gets resolved.

We also like the change at Offensive Coordinator. Mike Heimerdinger is a professional, but we like the idea of Chris Palmer bringing along Jake Locker, their young quarterback taken at eight overall. Palmer has experience with young quarterbacks while Heimerdinger, as competent as he is, has a tendency to hang his quarterbacks out to dry. It’s no coincidence that most of his success came with extremely mobile quarterbacks. Yes, Locker is plenty mobile himself, but we don’t want him learning while running for his life, and we fear that this would be the case under Heimerdinger.

There is some intrigue at tight end as Jared Cook is finally going to get his shot after two years of toiling behind Bo Scaife. He has the talent, and we’ve seen incremental improvement over his first two seasons. If he has a strong camp, he could be a nice late sleeper in deep leagues.

The last thing on the docket for the Titans is the competition at the second receiver spot. Both Nate Washington and Damian Williams can make arguments to be the starter and while we’re betting on Washington to start early on, Williams could make a move with strong play. It’s also important to remember that both could start if Britt has more trouble. We expect the Titans to part ways with WR Justing Gage, who has started the last few seasons when he was healthy.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags finally have a quarterback. It will take a little time, and he may not start right away, but Blaine Gabbert has all of the physical ability to be a strong starter in the NFL. For now, we expect veteran David Garrard to start, but how long he lasts is up in the air.

At running back, we still have some concerns regarding Maurice Jones-Drew’s knee. We like that he had the meniscus repaired versus having it clipped, and he seems destined for full health in the near future. What we question is his workload, which could be lightened as MJD is a huge key for the Jags, and because they have some talent at tailback behind Jones-Drew in the form of Rashad Jennings and Deji Karim. We still like MJD, but we might not see him as elite depending on how things evolve over the next month or so. Stay tuned.

One nice surprise in 2010 was the improved play of Marcedes Lewis, who had a fabulous season and who looks like a solid TE1 for fantasy in 2011. There is a contract situation with the big tight end, but we don’t see it as a big deal. He is entering the final year of his deal and will either get extended or will be playing for big bucks. We are cool with either scenario and don’t foresee a holdout, but we’ll keep you posted.

At receiver, we have to wait for free agency to shake out. Most likely, Mike Sims-Walker will not return and that leaves Mike Thomas, a solid possession receiver, as their de facto number one. Thomas could make a nice WR3 if things break right and perhaps even a WR2 in PPR formats.

Also in the mix for a starting spot are Jason Hill and rookie Cecil Shorts. Shorts is a great story and we like him as a prospect. Still, this is a very tough year for rookies to make an early impact with no offseason to speak of.

Indianapolis Colts

Here is a team that is relatively free of offseason change and drama. Most of the key players are signed, and Joseph Addai, though free, seems likely to return. Two other key issues for fantasy purposes are Peyton Manning’s neck, which should be healed up by week one, and Austin Collie’s cranium, which is a bit more nebulous. Seeing Collie take a few hits in preseason will go a long way towards giving us the confidence to draft him. This is definitely something to watch as Collie has tremendous fantasy potential if he plays sixteen games or close to that.

Stud tight end Dallas Clark should be back at 100% and that will send Jacob Tamme back to a reserve role after he was a serious fantasy asset over the second half of 2010. That’s something to remember if Clark should go down again.

At tailback, we have the usual large stable of Colts. How it shakes out is anyone’s guess. Donald Brown seems like a fading factor unless Addai is lost to another team. We like rookie Delone Carter out of Syracuse, and he may be the long term back, but as a rookie in the lockout year, he will likely be behind the curve for awhile. That said, he could be the goal line back at some point and could be a solid draft target not just in dynasty formats, but in larger redraft formats. At this point, we don’t see anybody on the roster that is even an RB2 for fantasy, but we’ll stay on top of it for you. If Carter really impresses and Addai leaves, that could change our view.

Houston Texans

At quarterback, the Texans are locked-in and we love Matt Schaub as a value pick at the position for 2011. His weapons are healthy and only WR Jacoby Jones is a possible free agent loss, though we think the odds of Jones returning are quite good.

The team ran the ball very effectively in 2010, and that should continue as they have a fine group of backs led by one of last year’s big fantasy stories, Arian Foster. We do have a few concerns regarding Foster’s 2011 value, though we still like him. First, his knee is a concern and we will be following that and keeping you informed. Then we have to gauge the health and effectiveness of Ben Tate, who lost his rookie year to a broken ankle suffered last August. We are big fans of Tate’s ability, but we need to see the old burst before we buy into him. If he is 100%, he could cut into Foster’s role some. The last concern we have for Foster is the potential loss of fullback Vonta Leach. While it might be tempting to brush off a fullback’s impact, we are hesitant to do so with Leach as he was simply awesome as a lead blocker in 2010 and it really showed up on film.

At tight end, we see a return to form for Owen Daniels and we like him as perhaps the best value to be had at the position for 2011 if current ADP data holds. He looked pretty strong down the stretch in 2010 and that really solidified his status for us.

Lastly, the receivers look like the same crew. Obviously, Andre Johnson is among the top three or four receivers in the game and coupled with a solid quarterback, he is an elite source of fantasy production.

Assuming that Jones returns, we see a time-share at the 2nd receiver spot and neither Kevin Walter or Jones would be big fantasy factors in that scenario. However, if Jones exits, we will be moving Walter up into the WR4 area of our rankings.

]]>379662011-07-25 19:43:360000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockAFC West Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37968
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37968This is the fourth installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the NFC East.

San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers is the fulcrum of the Chargers’ offense as it all goes through him. His performance last year while coping with a revolving door at receiver was simply amazing. If he gets stud receiver Vincent Jackson back as expected, we see no way he falls from the ranks of the fantasy elite in 2011.

Receiver is certainly a position of intrigue as far as San Diego goes. This is one team that we will be watching closely. From the Chargers’ perspective, getting both Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd re-signed would be great, but the priority has to be Jackson. Floyd will likely test the market and go from there. Our guess is that both return. If they do, we like V-Jax as a WR1 for fantasy and Floyd as a WR3. The other players to watch at receiver are Patrick Crayton, who is best used as a third receiver, Seyi Ajirotutu, who was impressive in limited action last year, and rookie Vincent Brown, who has drawn praise from Rivers during player-led workouts. Brown is a very nice long term player in this offense as he runs precise routes and has good hands. We like him as a mid-round dynasty pick.

Likely to be leaving is Craig Davis via a salary cap-related release.

Antonio Gates is back at tight end and we expect a typically dominant season from him. His plantar fascia injury appears to be behind him, but we’ll do our best to confirm this over the next few weeks.

On to running back, where we have Ryan Mathews as the lead back, and he should at least start the season healthy. Also likely to return is Mike Tolbert, who was a TD vulture and a very solid replacement for Matthews in 2010. The team tendered him at the 2nd round level and his return is likely. Likely to go is free agent Darren Sproles. As tempting as it is to buy into Mathews as a potential stud in this offense, we are sobered not just by his penchant for injury, but by Tolbert’s goal line skills. We’ll be reading the tea leaves for the next month, but we are leaning towards ranking Mathews as a RB2 with RB1 upside. There’s no doubt that the kid can be electrifying, and this is a great offense for him. Time will tell.

On defense, there is a new coordinator with Ron Rivera leaving for the HC job in Carolina. This is important as Rivera did a phenomenal job last season. The new man, Greg Manusky, is clearly qualified after running the 49ers’ defense, but he is a bit of a question mark as far as replacing Rivera goes. For this reason, we’ll be watching the Chargers’ defense closely in preseason.

Oakland Raiders

In Oakland we have lots of change, but not a whole lot of change to the roster. The change is on the coaching staff. Coach Cable is gone and had been replaced by Hue Jackson. Jackson is a bit of a wildcard, but he’s earned his chance. The offense will now be led by Al Saunders, who is solid and has some history with the starting quarterback from their days in Washington. We envision a return to the vertical passing attack, which is a good fit for their personnel and should jibe well with their solid ground game.

As far as receivers go, we are still fans of Jacoby Ford, who spent plenty of time on our Waiver Wire in 2010. If you want Ford in 2011, you’ll need to draft him. He may or may not be a value and we will keep you posted on that, but barring the unforeseen, he is our favorite part of the Oakland passing attack.

The rest of the receiving crew is... ‘like a box of chocolates’. First we have Darrius Heyward-Bey. He has serious ability but his hands and lack of consistency threaten to cast him into the Sea of Ted Ginn. He could be anything from a stud to a dud and we lean towards the latter at this point. Then we have the always trendy Chaz Schilens, who was rumored to be “close to returning” from about mid-August through his actual return date of December fifth. Of course he gave all his fans hope by finally finding the zone in week seventeen. Lastly we have ever-dissed Lou Murphy, who always seems to play well, but never seems to get any love from the Raiders.

How these receivers shake-out before the opener is anybody’s guess right now. We can’t even count on them starting Ford. This is the Raiders after all. We’ll keep you informed.

At tight end, we like Zach Miller quite a bit and we could see him having a career year in 2011. The key to his season will be Jason Campbell, and we think Campbell will play better in 2011 with Saunders running the offense, and with the comfort of having a year in Oakland under his belt. We see him as a solid backup for fantasy purposes in deep leagues.

If Campbell falters or is injured, we are not in love with the concept of Kyle Boller as a starter, no matter how hot his wife is. The return of Bruce Gradkowski would be a good thing in our view, but he seems likely to leave via free agency.

The running back situation seems somewhat settled. Darren McFadden is going to start and he really elevated his level of play in 2010. The question now is about maintaining his health. We have him ranked as a first round guy right now. It appears that Michael Bush will return and he should have a substantial role. He is also a very attractive handcuff option if you spend an early pick on McFadden.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs organization seems to be in a good position. Head Coach Todd Haley had a solid inaugural campaign, and they’re returning plenty of key starters and have no glaring free agent issues.

Matt Cassel was in our dog house early on, but we have to give credit where credit is due. The ex-Patriot raised his game to a passable level in the middle half of the season and, buttressed by a great running game, was able to form a great connection with Dwayne Bowe. The pair tore up teams throughout October and November. The season’s final stanza was more up and down for Cassel, but he will be back and the team took steps to balance the passing attack by drafting Jonathan Baldwin out of Pitt. Baldwin is a big receiver with a lot of positives to go with his 6’4’ frame. The Chiefs will now be a matchup nightmare for most teams as few teams can play against that kind of size.

The addition of Baldwin will also make TE Tony Moeaki more effective, though he could also negatively affect his target total.

The bottom line is that KC has top notch play-makers all over their offense and that includes role players like Dexter McCluster, who is likely to continue his role as a RB/WR. This all bodes well for Cassel’s fantasy prospects. Though we grade him as a less than average NFL starter, Cassel has showed that he can rack up nice numbers in this offense. We expect more good weeks in 2011 and we see Cassel as a fine backup in most formats, with starter’s upside on good matchup weeks.

Tailback Jamaal Charles, who we pimped last year, will be a top five back in the 2011 rankings. We expect a small bump in touches and a better overall fantasy performance. You can’t go wrong drafting this guy.

Thomas Jones will be back and he will get his touches, but we don’t expect him to thrive quite the way he did in 2010. He’s a flex option in our view.

One concern we have with the Chiefs is the loss of Charlie Weiss as OC. Kansas City was among the best coached teams in the trenches last season and their run blocking schemes were the best we saw week-to-week. While we have great respect for new OC, Bill Muir, who coached the OL in 2010, having both Weiss and Muir working together was an embarrassment of riches. We see Todd Haley calling the plays this year and he has some big shoes to fill.

Denver Broncos

Here’s a team that all fantasy owners must get a handle on. The offensive paradigm has done a full “one eighty” with the switch from Josh McDaniels’ pass-happy attack to John Fox’s well established ground-and-pound offense.

Let’s a take a look at Denver’s talent through the John Fox prism. First the quarterback spot. If Kyle Orton is the week one starter, you want no part of him. If Tim Tebow is the starter, then things get interesting. We love his upside for fantasy. New GM John Elway is a bright guy, but we don’t yet have a good read on how he feels about Tebow, whom he did not draft. Our guess is that the kid wins Fox over with his leadership and work ethic, but we’ll have to let things play out. Tebow has elite fantasy potential though we don’t see him having a long career with his uncompromising physical style of play.

The ground game will be led by Knowshon Moreno unless a big free agent is added. The rumored move has Denver signing Fox’s old starter from Carolina, DeAngelo Williams. This move would be a huge blow to Moreno’s value and most likely turn him into a 3rd down back. We’ll keep you posted.

The players competing for snaps are Correll Buckhalter and LenDale White. White is a player that could be a fit for Fox if he can return in top form from his Achilles injury.

Laurence Maroney is a free agent and is very unlikely to return. Heck, Maroney has been such a dog, he may have trouble making a NFL roster in 2011.

The receiver group is loaded with compelling questions. Can Brandon Lloyd repeat his amazing 2011 season? We don’t think so, but we love him as a player and we do see him as being Denver’s lead receiver again. For fantasy, in Fox’s system, we see him as a WR2.

We expect the trio of Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney and Eric Decker to battle it out for snaps at the number two and three receiver spots. All three players bring something to the table; we are rooting for Decker, who we think has a higher ceiling than most seem to give him credit for. We view him as a long term starter and a great guy to own in dynasty.

Another name to either to remember is last year’s number one pick, Demayius Thomas. He’s coming back from achilles reconstruction, so he is unlikely to be ready by the start of the season. Recent reports have him shooting for a mid-year return. Thomas was a great prospect before the injury, but achilles are very tough to come back from, so this is a wait-and-see situation. That said, he might be worth a flier in long term formats if he gets released in your league. We’ll monitor his progress for you.

Another interesting player for the Broncos is rookie TE Virgil Green. Yes, he was a very late selection, but we really like what he brings to the table. He’s a great pick in long term formats and you don’t need to spend a lot to get him. It wouldn’t shock us to see him contribute significantly as a rookie.

This is the fifth installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the NFC North.

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

Don’t go bargain shopping in Philly this year. This team is full of high-profile talent. There are plenty of players to target, but not many who will be available longer than they should.

Michael Vick is now looking like a first rounder in most formats. We aren’t suggesting that this is the way to go about winning your league, but that’s where he’s being drafted and after last year, we understand the reasoning. Rarely does a quarterback put up the kind of massive point totals that Vick did in 2010. He made us look good last year too, but we also got him as a backup to Kolb or by blowing a big portion of our free agent budget on him. Winning by taking him in the first round will be decidedly more difficult.

Vick is not the only first round talent in the city of brotherly love. Tailback LeSean McCoy established himself as a solid RB1 in 2010 and we see no reason why he should not be just as effective this season. His average draft position of nine makes sense and we expect him to hover right around there throughout the preseason.

The only potential problem we see with McCoy is the possible return of Brian Westbrook. And, while BWB’s return would be a great move by the Eagles, it could take a few points away from McCoy as Westbrook knows the Eagles offense better than anybody this side of Andy Reid. It’s worth keeping an eye on for sure. If Westbrook is brought in, that will likely signal the end of Jerome Harrison’s stay as the backup tailback. This should shake out quickly once free agents start falling in line.

The receivers are top notch and they are deep too. The starters are set with both DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin returning. Both players make very solid WR2s for fantasy and both have WR1 upside though we see Jackson as the more likely break-out candidate as he is more of a big-play guy.

The other two receivers of note are Jason Avant and Riley Cooper. Avant is the established third receiver though Cooper is the bigger talent and offers size that is not found anywhere else on the current roster. If there’s a significant injury to a starter, we’d run to pick up Cooper. There are also Plaxico Burress rumors in Philly, but we don’t see the need at all and Burress is too old to sit for a season as Vick did. We think Burress goes to a team that gives him a better chance to be a starter and to make some cash.

At tight end, Brent Celek returns after a disappointing season. We view him as a fantasy backup. While a return to form is possible, we aren’t about to bank on it.

As usual, the Philly defense will be a solid unit for fantasy and will be among our top twelve when our initial 2011 rankings are released.

New York Giants

The Giants will feature some top fantasy talent in 2011, and at the top of the heap will be their number one receiver Hakeem Nicks. This guy is nearly impossible to cover and if he can stay healthy, he could be a top five receiver in fantasy leagues this season. Unfortunately, injuries have been a big part of Nicks’ first two seasons in the NFL. He missed three games in 2010 and two games as a rookie in 2009. He’s a play-to-win pick for all you risk-takers. We probably lack the stomach to take him until round three, but we’re admittedly still mulling.

The other starting receiver is up in the air, but the NYG and your team will be in pretty good hands with either Steve Smith or Mario Manningham. Smith is the returning starter but he is coming off microfracture surgery on his left knee. Additionally, Smith needs to be re-signed. We think that happens, but his availability for week one is very much in doubt. Smith’s draft value is very much up in the air and we’ll do our best to lock that down as camp progresses...and assuming he signs.

The likely starter, at least early on, is Manningham, and he has shown us enough the last two years to be excited about his potential as a WR3 or flex option.

The Giants also have some potential flux at tight end, where Kevin Boss needs to be re-signed. If he gets away, that would leave the position in the hands of Travis Beckum. Beckum has long been talked about as a guy the Giants would like to get more involved, and he has a higher ceiling for fantasy than Boss. Nevertheless, the Giants will most likely get a deal done with Boss. We’ll keep you posted.

The running game should be very solid, but there will be some drama until all the players are signed. Incumbent starter Ahmad Bradshaw seems to be flirting with the idea of going to Miami and that would be a blow to the Giants. Bradshaw’s departure could create an opportunity for Brandon Jacobs, who was the starter back before Bradshaw took his job. Of course, Jacobs lost his job almost as much as it was taken away. The big back doesn’t get behind his pads and he fumbles too much. He’s also been more vocal than Head Coach Tom Coughlin would like. In fact, it would not shock us if the Giants released Jacobs for cap purposes, especially if they bring Bradshaw back. One reason for this is rookie Da’Rel Scott out of Maryland. This kid has got game and he has the kind of size/speed combination that coaches and personnel guys love. The Giants have been good at finding backs without using high picks. The names Ryan Grant and Derrick Ward should both ring a bell. Ahmad Bradshaw himself was a seventh round steal.

This is a running game to know stone cold, because somebody is going to post some solid numbers. Also in the mix is DJ Ware, who was extended, but we see him as more of a depth player.

The quarterback position is locked in with Eli Manning looking to take his game up another level. We are fans of Peyton’s little brother and he’s not a bad value as a late-round answer to your starter’s spot. Getting three healthy receivers will go a long way to that end. We’ll be following that throughout camp.

We’ll close out with the Giants defense, which we can already see as a top ten fantasy defense. The front seven is simply devastating.

Washington Redskins

As much as we might like to pretend that they don’t exist, the Redskins could be a nice source of cheap fantasy talent in 2011. This is Mike Shanahan’s second season in Washington and the guy always seems to produce quality fantasy tailbacks. Just look what Ryan Torain did last year when he was healthy.

Torain is a interesting player this year and he may be a nice RB2, but we need to see him hold off the competition first. The ‘Skins brought in two rookies and both are good fits for Shanny’s system. First, let’s look at Nebraska’s Roy Helu. He’ll be a trendy pick not just in keeper formats, but in redrafts as well and he might just pan out. The question is where to draft him and that will depend upon his position on the depth chart and the performance of Torain in camp. Helu has the potential to be very good right out of the box and if not for the lockout, we might be leading the charge, but he will be behind in camp as all rookies will be.

Another back to follow is former Penn State standout Evan Royster. He was a three year starter for the Nittany Lions and he could do plenty in Shanahan’s system if he gets a chance. Other players to watch in this competition are Keiland Williams, whom we see as more of a third down back and James Davis, who we think misses the final cut.

Now on to the real ugliness--the passing game. We have no idea how he became the odds-on favorite to start for the Redskins, but you’ll want to familiarize yourself with John Beck. The former Dolphin second round flop has bounced from Baltimore to Washington and has apparently made fans of both Mike and Kyle Shanahan.

It seems that last year’s starter Donovan McNabb will be released and the popular thinking has the team brining back Rex Grossman as the primary competition for Beck. As crazy as it may seem, this appears to be the way things are going in DC. We’ll know more soon.

The wide receiver position is in complete flux, though we do like rookie Leonard Hankerson out of Miami. He could start as a rookie and we like him in long term formats.

The big story here is the Santana Moss situation. If he is re-signed, then they have some credibility, but if they lose him, they will need to make a free agent splash, and the only player we’ve heard strong rumors on so far is the Jets’ Santonio Holmes. Of course the Jets want Holmes back badly and they will get first crack as soon as the ink dries on the new CBA.

Others players of note are Anthony Armstrong, who was a nice surprise last year, but who lacks starter’s talent and Aldrick Robinson out of SMU. Both players have a chance at being involved. Basically, with the Redskins’s receivers, it’s check back in a few weeks.

Tight end is a position of strength where both incumbent starter Chris Cooley and backup Fred Davis can handle the load if need be. For fantasy purposes, we like Cooley as a nice value option as a starter you can get later on in drafts.

Dallas Cowboys

The times they are a changing in Dallas. We see new HC Jason Garrett as a potential long-term answer to the revolving door they installed in the coach’s office after Jimmy Johnson left town. Garrett looked the part after taking over for Wade Phillips and he knows the talent well.

The problem in Dallas is that there’s only one ball. This is the issue for every single Cowboy skill player not named Romo. There’s an embarrassment of riches at the receiver position even if they release a guy like Roy Williams, who is likely to be the highest paid third receiver in the league. Then factor in that you have a big-time tight end in addition to the starting receiver tandem of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

The backfield is the same deal. Even if they finally release Marion Barber, you have a three-headed monster with Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and rookie Demarco Murray. We like all of these backs and what we’d really love to see is any one of them getting enough touches to post some good fantasy numbers. This will shake out over the course of preseason, but our money right now is on Jones to start with Choice and Murray competing for time, and Barber moving on to a new team.

So we’ll be watching this team closely and advising you accordingly over the next month, but the one conclusion we have already come to is that Tony Romo is a very good option in 2011 and right now, you can draft him after Vick, Rodgers, Manning, Brees, Brady and Rivers are off the board as the 7th quarterback taken. That is nice value.

Lastly, we like what Rob Ryan will bring as the new DC and we see them as a viable starting defense this season.

]]>379722011-07-25 19:53:100000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockNFC North Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37974
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37974This is the sixth installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the NFC South.

Green Bay Packers

For a team with a great offense, the Pack feature surprisingly few fantasy studs. Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings are the only two Packers that are likely to be taken in the first thirty selections of fantasy drafts. This means there will be some values to be had.

Rodgers will be great again, though we do expect them to try and protect him a little more than they have the last two years, as he is now their most precious commodity and they have a healthier running attack to help him out. Rodgers could raise his game even higher this year but post less fantasy stats, so be very careful about dropping a first or second round selection on him or on any other quarterback not named Vick.

At receiver, Jennings is clearly the man to roster for fantasy, but his big 2010 needs to be taken in proper context as his targets may have been inflated by Jermichael Finley’s absence, and Finley should be back to his bad-ass self in 2011. A healthy Finley could easily be the top tight end in fantasy.

Opposite Jennings is where the big questions are in the passing game. Donald Driver wants to keep playing, but he is obviously less effective than the younger guys, specifically Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Jones is likely to sign elsewhere leaving Nelson and Driver sharing the 2nd and 3rd receiving roles. We like Nelson better for fantasy and we’ll keep an eye on this group in preseason. Another player of note should be rookie receiver Randall Cobb. Can we start calling him “Tex” now? Really though, Cobb has a nice future, but he seems likely to be the fourth receiver in 2011. He makes a nice late selection in dynasty.

The backfield is jumbled with Ryan Grant’s potential return and the post-season emergence of Rotobahn favorite James Starks. The mix will also include rookie tailback Alex Green out of Hawaii. He’s well put together and could be the future at the position. Brandon Jackson could also return, but he proved last year that he is more of a supplemental talent.

The early drama will surround Grant. It’s possible that Green Bay will opt to let him go and avoid paying him a 1.5 million dollar bonus. If Grant is retained, he is probably the favorite to start, but that is far from a lock. This is a backfield to watch for sure as we move through the preseason.

Chicago Bears

We had high hopes for the Bears offense going into 2010 and we saw a lot of what we expected to see. The fly in the ointment was the offensive line, which was as bad as any unit in football. For this reason, it is all about the line in 2011.

In fairness to OL Coach Mike Tice, they did tighten things up as the year progressed and the team began to run more on early downs. Still, this is a Mike Martz offense and we expect Martz to revert to form as much as possible in 2011. We expect a more aggressive passing attack and improved numbers from quarterback Jay Cutler and number one receiver Johnny Knox.

For this to happen, the new additions to the line must mesh quickly. The Bears traded up for Outland Trophy winner Gabe Carimi, whom they selected at 29 overall. He’ll help. The next key for the Bears in the trenches will be re-signing veteran center Olin Kreutz. He was one of the few dependable guys in 2010 and his solid presence is needed in 2011. We expect this to be taken care of early on in the free agent period. We also would like to see the Bears bring in a free agent for depth. Chicago just can’t afford Cutler to take the kind of punishment he took in 2010. For this reason and a few others, the Bears needs to take care of their business here.

The rest of the receivers fall in line behind Knox. We still like the upside that Devin Hester has in this offense, but they limit his snaps an awful lot and that not only limits his opportunities but keeps him from getting into the flow at times. Right now, he’s not draftable outside of larger leagues, but that could change. Also worthy of consideration is Cutler’s teammate from Vanderbilt, Earl Bennett, who is likely to start opposite Knox. Bennett has the potential to become a WR3 for fantasy in Martz’s system, but we’re not valuing him that high at this point.

Another player to watch at receiver is Andy Fontuz of CFL fame. He’s a big target and has been showing well in player-led workouts. In Canada, this guy had his own cereal, so he can handle a little hype. He’s worth keeping an eye on and could be worth a flier in long term formats.

Lastly we have tight end Greg Olsen, who performed pretty well as far as tight ends go in Martz’s offense. He may have opened the coach’s eyes enough to be used more often in 2011, but that remains to be seen and can’t be counted on at this point.

Detroit Lions

If you have been a Rotobahn reader in the past then you know how much we like the Lions as an up and coming team. We also like all the fantasy options they provide.

This year, we hope to see Matt Stafford play sixteen games and we like his chances to be a solid fantasy starter if he can do that. That said, if Stafford is out, Shaun Hill can keep the thing going and is a viable starting option in fantasy leagues.

The presence of Hill should also help those who draft Calvin Johnson breathe a little easier as he has two quarterbacks who have shown an ability to use his talents. With Stafford and Hill throwing him the ball for the bulk of 2010, the only thing that seemed capable of stopping Johnson was Darrelle Revis and the Lions don’t play the Jets again until 2014!

After Calvin, the Lions are in good shape at receiver with veteran Nate Burleson and exciting rookie Titus Young. Detroit paid Burleson well with a five year deal going into last season and we expect the ex-Seahawk to hold off the rookie for at least a season. Nevertheless, we see Young making an immediate impact as a slot receiver where his play-making ability could create huge headaches for opposing defensive coordinators.

Also looking good for 2011 is tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who is the complete package and can make the big play as a blocker or as a receiver. While many see Pettigrew regressing in 2011, we think he could just as easily continue to grow. Remember that he did what he did in 2010 after suffering a very serious knee injury in 2009 as a rookie. He should be even healthier this season.

Detroit has also provided answers in the backfield and we are fans of their new 1-2 punch of Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure. Both players bring a different skill-set to the table and we can already see how well they might mesh together with Best giving way in short yardage and goal line situations. Leshoure also gives them a nice ball-control option if they get ahead in games, which is becoming a more likely possibility as this team continues to get better under Head Coach Jim Schwartz.

For fantasy, Best is looking like the guy to own, but things could change as the season progresses, and Best is injury prone as we all know. If you do roll the dice with Best, backing him up with Leshoure is a solid move. In fact, if you do land both, Best going down might just be your best scenario as the rookie could flourish in a large role and is well built to take the pounding of the NFL.

Detroit is making it tougher and tougher for teams to roll coverage to Calvin Johnson and this is to their credit. This team now has defined strengths on both sides of the ball and we like their defense as a fantasy sleeper in 2011 as their front four is as disruptive a unit as you will find.

Minnesota Vikings

It’s a new era in Minnesota as they seem to have officially moved on from Brett Favre with the selection of FSU’s Christian Ponder at twelve overall in this year’s draft. Of course Favre rumors will likely persist until Brett is using a walker.

While Ponder is the future, he will have competition from Joe Webb in the present and Webb has a chance to start at the outset. This is something to watch in camp.

One player that is locked-in no matter who is under center is Adrian Peterson, who has been the most consistent fantasy back over the last four seasons. We fully expect more of the same from AP in 2011, though we are interested to see if his larger role in the passing game continues. Favre made it a point to get AP more involved as a receiver than he ever had been before and it would be nice to see that continue. Either way, AP will be at the top of our rankings in 2011 as he is the best combo of talent, performance and health that we see.

Also locked in as a solid performer is 3rd year receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin could be thrust into the lead receiver role if the Vikes lose number one receiver Sidney Rice, who is a free agent. Common wisdom has Harvin suffering if Rice leaves, but we doubt that will be the case. Harvin has some risk, but that risk is mostly related to his penchant for missing time with migraines. Harvin claims that he has found a new treatment that has him feeling better than ever, but we have heard similar statements in the past, so we aren’t putting too much faith in that. The bottom line with Percy is that he is a pure play-maker if he is on the field, and now that he has two full seasons under his belt we have confidence in him regardless of his role. Just factor in the migraines and understand that having Harvin as a key part of your team means you need a quality depth behind him. When healthy, we see him as a good WR2 for fantasy.

Sidney Rice would also be a solid number two for fantasy, but before we commit to a ranking for him, we need to see where he lands. His return to Minny seems like a fifty-fifty proposition at best. We should know more on this soon after the free agent process begins.

If they do lose Rice, there’s a big hole to be filled and Minnesota lacks quality options as far as an in-house replacement goes. They would probably have to go the free agent route themselves as Bernard Berrian looked completely shot last year and Greg Camarillo is about as exciting as wet t-shirt contest at Del Boca Vista.

At tight end, Visanthe Shiancoe returns and should be a solid option as a fantasy backup, but we want you aiming a bit higher for your starter. For the long term, we really like rookie Kyle Rudolph, whom the Vikings nabbed in the second round. If the rookie is making a push for Shiancoe’s job next month, we’ll be sure to let you know, but he’s a draft target in long term formats for the time being.

]]>379742011-07-25 19:49:430000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockNFC South Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37977
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37977This is the seventh installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Next up is the NFC West.

Tampa Bay Bucs

Here’s a hot team in fantasy circles. Fantasy GMs love young talent and Tampa is loaded with it.

It all starts with 3rd year quarterback Josh Freeman, who has shown just about every trait that you look for in a successful quarterback. He makes for a very nice late-round solution as your fantasy starter. It’s under-reported that he was a top ten fantasy arm in 2010. We think he repeats that feat in 2011.

Freeman’s fantasy value was buttressed by the performance of receiver Mike Williams, who performed like a veteran right out of the box. Williams looks to repeat his solid rookie performance and we think he will. Williams is the first Tampa receiver to draft and we think he makes a solid WR2 for fantasy purposes. The rest of the Tampa depth chart is tougher to read, but there’s plenty of potential.

The main man to watch is Arrelious Benn and we’d be downright giddy about his prospects if he hadn’t ended his rookie year with a ACL injury. He still is the projected number two receiver in Tampa, and his rehab has progressed well, but we want to see it before we sign off on him. If Benn has a setback in his rehab, the Bucs will look to the group of Michael Spurlock, Sammie Stroughter and Dezmon Briscoe for answers. We very much doubt that we will suggest that you should do the same.

The tight end position is locked down by Kellen Winslow, who looks healthier than he’s been in some time and could be poised for a nice season, though his knees are always a question. You need to back him up in deeper leagues due to said risk.

At tailback, Carnell Williams will test the free agent market and that could lead to even more touches for Leggarrette Blount, who is a very strong fantasy option and a fringe RB1 at this point. As far as depth beyond that is concerned, there is only Greg Lumpkin and late round selection Allen Bradford. Fullback Earnest Graham is another option. We expect the Bucs to either bring Williams back or sign a veteran. One interesting player for Tampa could be Darren Sproles, who would offer nice contrast to Blount and who is unlikely to resign with San Diego. Stay tuned.

New Orleans Saints

For fantasy purposes the Saints can be a frustrating bunch. Sean Payton’s love for offensive variety makes it tough for his players to stay hot week-to-week. Players like Robert Meachem, Devery henderson and Lance Moore go from studs to duds on a weekly basis, and it makes it tough to place a draft value on them. Even Marques Colston can be a little up and down and will frustrate fantasy GMs. All that said, all Saints receivers should be owned and we’ll try to define their rotation as much as we can leading up to fantasy drafts. Right now, Meachem is healthier than he’s been in years and is our choice for a late-round value. Lance Moore is a free agent for now, but we expect him to come back.

Perhaps our favorite piece in the Saints passing game, save for Drew Brees, is second year tight end Jimmy Graham, who has great upside for a player you can draft well after the studs go off the board in the early to mid rounds. The Saints stole Graham in the third round of the 2010 draft and his quick development led to the offseason release of Jeremy Shockey.

That leaves us with the Saints running game. Many a fantasy owner has been bedeviled by this crew over the last two years. Reggie Bush is likely to be released for cap purposes. This leaves rookie Mark Ingram and veterans Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. All three players are likely to have roles, though Ivory must prove himself healthy after his season-ending foot injury. Also in the mix could be Lynell Hamilton, who was a part of the Saints championship team and who spent last year on the IR.

Preseason will factor in more prominently than usual as we try to decipher what the roles will be when the season gets under way. Right now, we envision a committee that is initially led by Thomas, but that could eventually be taken over by Mark Ingram, who is the best bet to be their long term starter. Both Ingram and Thomas will have flex value or better. Stay tuned.

Carolina Panthers

What a mess. This depth chart needs a maid. There is almost nothing in Carolina that we can depend on at this point. We don’t know the week one quarterback. We’re not sure who’s starting at tailback and the receivers are up in the air until we know whether Steve Smith is coming back or being dealt away. Even if Smith returns, we don’t know who starts opposite him.

Having said all of that, we are very excited at what the future may bring in Carolina. We’re big fans of QB Cam Newton and we think he is a potential revelation as a fantasy signal caller. When that revelation occurs is very much up in the air. It’s looking more and more likely that 2nd year man Jimmy Clausen will open as the starter and we can understand why, but we want to be very clear on Newton. We think he is a QB1 for fantasy the minute he is their starter. Yes, that may be a bit firm, but he’s that dynamic. He can post fantasy points in every conceivable way and his physical tools are unrivaled. He’s got tremendous arm strength. He’s a big man, but he moves like no quarterback we’ve ever seen save for Michael Vick. This guy has got to be the first player taken in any dynasty league. As far as 2011 goes, we want him on our team if he’s starting. Maybe not as our starter, but as a backup with crazy upside.

Back to receiver. We expect the drama with Smith to end early, but you never know. He’s signed long term and they aren’t going to cut him with two young quarterbacks at the top of their depth chart. Of course, if a team like New England comes calling and they are dangling draft picks, the Panthers might opt to speed up the revamping of their roster. After Smith, the best talent on hand are youngsters Brandon LaFell and David Gettis. Both showed some signs of promise in 2010 with solid rookie campaigns. We like LaFell’s upside a little more even though Gettis did a little more as a rookie.

Now for the backfield. The three names to know are DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson--in that order. The wildcard is the free agent status of Williams. If he is retained, we expect the backfield to play out much like it has, with Williams starting and with Stewart having a sizable role. Goodson, having proven his worth as a back-up starter last season is an intriguing player if DeAngelo leaves. His rumored secondary destination is Denver, where ex-Panther HC John Fox would like a reunion with Williams, who would pair with Knowshon Moreno in a 2-back offense. This situation should settle quickly once free agency kicks in.

Atlanta Falcons

Ah... Finally. A team that reeks of stability and established studs. That is, except for the second starting receiver. But who are we kidding? Rookie Julio Jones is going to fill that role...probably by week one. He is a WR4 in our rankings right now, but he could move up a bit with a solid camp and preseason.

At the other receiver spot we have Roddy White. White will be the first receiver taken in many a draft and we can’t quibble much with that. On our board, he’s number three behind Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson and has almost identical value in our minds. If Roddy is your guy, we suggest you follow your convictions, but we wonder if he will be fed the same way he was last year. The better Jones is, the more balls will be going the other way, and this offense will not give up on the run with Michael Turner still playing at a high level.

Turner is still a RB1 in our view and the real questions in the Atlanta backfield involve his backup. The most likely outcome is that they resign Jason Snelling, who proved to be a very good second option in 2010. If Snelling is not brought back, look out for rookie tailback Jacquizz Rodgers, who could be an interesting weapon with his play-making ability, though his lack of size makes him a shaky replacement as a starter if Turner were to go down. This situation should sort itself out early on in free agency. We’ll keep you posted.

At tight end, Tony Gonzalez is back and he has finally begun to show his age. He’s no longer a top option and is only a fringe starter at this point. You could do worse, but we’d like to see you do better.

The quarterback situation is obviously rock solid with Matt Ryan in command and healthy. With Julio Jones on-board, Matty Ice now has two top-flight talents to throw to and for this reason, we think Ryan will have his best fantasy season to date. He’s a great way to fill the QB spot later in your draft. He’ll be a nice value.

]]>379772011-07-25 19:50:550000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockNFC West Previewhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37979
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=37979This is the final installment in our eight part series breaking down all of the NFL’s divisions for fantasy purposes as we move towards NFL free agency. Over the next few weeks, you’ll be seeing full-blown roster bedlam in the NFL. We’ll be here to help you make sense of it all, so you can dominate your draft and your league.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cards are a very big team for fantasy purposes. Why? Because they have some players with high-end potential who are fantasy wildcards, and it is very important to have a handle on their respective roles by the time you start drafting your fantasy teams.

First off, we will look at Larry Fitzgerald, who had a respectable season in 2010 with some of the worst quarterbacking we’ve ever seen. That Fitz managed to finish as the league’s fifteenth ranked receiver in performance scoring is impressive. The Cardinals are almost certain to bring in a “real” quarterback in 2011. Assuming this comes to pass, we see Fitz as a great bounce back player this year and a potential value come draft day.

At the second receiver spot, we think Arizona re-signs Steve Breaston, but if he signs elsewhere, there will be a competition between Early Doucet and Andre Roberts. Both have potential and would be viable late round picks if they were to start.

At tailback, we have a serious RBBC (running back by committee), and we admit to having a rooting interest as we loathe Beanie Wells and love rookie Ryan Williams. At this point, we feel it’s just a matter of time before Williams becomes the number one back, but Wells‘ talent and experience in the offense are not to be discounted. The lockout only makes the rookie’s battle tougher. We should also mention the other back in this committee. Tim Hightower has been solid enough to earn carries every year, but not good enough to keep the team from drafting replacement candidates the last few seasons. He’s a long-shot longterm, but he could be the starter early on if Wells lands in the coach’s doghouse and the rookie needs more time.

Basically, just about anything could happen in this backfield. The thing is, if a clear starter emerges, especially if it’s Williams or Wells, that player could have a lot of value if there’s a new and legitimate quarterback in town. We’ll be all over this situation as we move through August.

Right now, we expect Arizona to deal for Philadelphia’s Kevin Kolb, but if they can’t strike a deal, they will turn to other trade targets and free agents like Denver’s Kyle Orton or Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck.

San Francisco 49ers

The biggest thing to remember in ‘Frisco is that there’s a long term coach in place and he’s offensive-minded. Jim Harbaugh has the potential to develop an explosive offense in SF, along the lines of Sean Payton’s Saints. In a season or two, people might look at the 49ers offense the same way we currently see the Packers, Saints and Colts. Dynasty leaguers might want to get in that frame of mind right now.

First, let’s tackle their stud franchise tailback, Frank Gore. This looks like a good year to target Gore. He is, by all accounts, healthy. He is also playing for a contract unless he gets extended before the season, and we don’t expect that to happen. We also like the idea of Gore finally playing for a real-deal offensive coach. Harbaugh has already said that he wants to get Gore “in space” more often, and while that is a common refrain, we suspect that he means it.

One big question, especially in larger leagues, will be whom to draft as Gore’s backup. This is a tough one. We were impressed with Anthony Dixon last year, and he looked especially good down near the goal line. What’s tough to gauge is the impact of rookie Kendall Hunter, whom we love. The most likely scenario has both backs replacing Gore in a typical two-back attack. At this point, since Dixon would likely get the love at the goal line, we’d roll with him, but this is something we will be monitoring closely over the next month. Hunter is the player we like most in long term formats.

Moving to receiver, there are problems. Michael Crabtree has another injury to his foot and until we see him practicing in full, we will remain skeptical. After Crabtree the only established player is Josh Morgan, who just might be a nice sleeper depending on what the 49ers do in free agency. If they put a jersey on a guy like Sidney Rice, Morgan may move into a reserve role. We’ll be paying attention to this group for sure as at least one fantasy option should emerge from the wreckage.

One stabilizing force will be stud TE Vernon Davis. We expect this physical freak to do very well with Harbaugh in town. He’s an elite option as a fantasy tight end, though he’ll probably be drafted too early for our liking.

At quarterback, we like what they are doing. They are giving Alex Smith a chance as they bring along rookie Colin Kaepernick. We see the rook as the long term answer and we think he’ll see time this year. We also love his fantasy potential. He moves extremely well and has a huge arm. We don’t view his release as being anywhere near the problem that scouts seem to think it is. We like this kid in long term formats and see him as the starter by opening day 2012 or sooner.

Seattle Seahawks

Head Coach Pete Carroll did a solid job in his return to the NFL in 2010. It will be interesting to see how his team follows it up in what could become an up-and-coming division. The big question in Seattle is the quarterback position. Long time starter Matt Hasselbeck could be on the way out, and there are plenty of teams out there that would do well to bid on his services. If he is not retained, Carroll will turn the reigns over to Charlie Whitehurst, who showed some signs of life when called upon in 2010. Our money is on Hasselbeck’s return as Seattle is just too good to put all their eggs in Charlie’s basket. At the very least, they need a veteran plan B if Hasselbeck bolts.

The Seahawks’ running backs seem somewhat settled though were aren’t sure we agree with the pecking order, and it wouldn’t shock us one bit if we see more of Leon Washington from scrimmage in 2011. As things stand, Marshawn Lynch is the starter and the most valuable back for fantasy. Justin Forsett and Washington will battle for touches behind Lynch. Washington is now two years removed from his horrific leg injury and has already shown his old speed by hitting some huge kick returns last year. Seattle would be wise to give him increased opportunity. He’s a better player than Forsett in our view and he complements Lynch better by offering more contrast. Leon can be a home run hitter and we see Lynch/Washington as a solid combo. Still, unless something changes, Forsett is the player to draft as a fantasy backup if you take Lynch in a league with deep roster limits.

At receiver, Seattle has a lot of options and they all have question marks combined with upside. First we have Big Mike Williams, who floundered for years after being a high draft pick. He was given a chance by his former college coach and he responded with a very impressive season. He is now number one on Seattle’s depth chart. He seems to be the most reliable guy at this point and if he shows up to camp healthy, we will be pretty high on him for 2011. Then you have three guys battling it out for time at the second and third spots on the depth chart. The two to watch right now are Ben Obomanu and Golden Tate. Either player could be exciting in fantasy this year, and the guy who starts will be a nice late rounder in larger leagues. We’ll keep you posted. Also of note is Deon Butler, but as he is returning from a broken leg, he still has a lot to prove.

There’s not a lot of upside at the tight end position though starter John Carlson has some ability and could be a waiver wire pickup at some point if he takes it up a notch in his third season.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams are a quickly evolving team and we like what they are doing. They don’t hang their young quarterback out to dry and they play things pretty conservatively. This will change as Sam Bradford’s game evolves and as they get him more talent on the outside. Right now, they use their two best players, Bradford and tailback Steven Jackson to control the game on offense. It worked pretty well in 2010 and we expect more of the same this season.

Bradford is a backup for fantasy purposes, but Jackson is still a guy who can finish in the top ten as far as backs go. He’s a nice pick in round two and a potential steal in the third. Behind Jackson there are questions as Kenneth Darby, last year’s backup, is unsigned. If he is not brought back, we like Chauncey Washington unless they bring in a veteran with more ability. Washington is a big bruising back who really hits the hole. He got pushed off the Jets roster last season, but so did Danny Woodhead.

The Rams’ receiving group is completely unsettled. The most talented player they have is Danario Alexander, but as much as we like him, he is a massive injury risk. If he starts, he’s a nice late rounder with upside...but you cannot count on him. He needs to be part of your depth.

After Alexander, it’s more questions marks. Danny Amendola is a likable guy in the Welker-Chrebet-Woodhead mold, but he is a third receiver best-used out of the slot. He could have some PPR value this year, but we don’t see him having as much value in performance leagues as last year. Brandon Gibson may end up being the most valuable guy to own as he is healthy and he knows the offense, but he still has plenty to do to prove himself, and he could get beat out by either Mark Clayton, if he is resigned or Donnie Avery. Both Clayton and Avery are coming back from serious knee injuries, but both are also expected to be ready for camp. Then we have the rookies, Austin Pettis and Greg Salas. We like both players and they may be the future, but with no offseason, they will start out even further behind. Did I mention Marty Gilyard? Don’t worry, after his disappointing rookie campaign, he’ll really need to impress just to stick on the roster.

We’ll be revisiting this group throughout August...not that any clarity is expected. This rag tag fugitive fleet will probably be evolving all the way through the season. If you play in a small league, there may be no draft targets here next month.

At tight end, we like Michael Hoomanawanui, but not as much as we dislike typing his name. If he can stay healthy, he might be a guy worth knowing in deep leagues. We also think Lance Kendricks has a chance to be active as a rookie if he can digest the playbook fast enough. This situation bears watching for sure. Kendricks is a very attractive in player in long term formats.

]]>379792011-07-25 19:52:200000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockKickoff rule reportedly won't change for 2011 seasonhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=39911
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=39911Rich McKay told Sports Illustated's Peter King for King's Monday column that the repositioning of the ball to the 35-yard-line on kickoffs will not change during the season.
"After the season,'' said McKay, "we'll see how it's affected the game and the injury numbers.'']]>399112011-08-22 12:49:460000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockPatrick Chung on M&M: Defensive backs ‘like a big, big family'http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=39806
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=39806[/caption]
Patrick Chung spoke with Mut & Merloni Friday morning following the Patriots’ 31-14 preseason win against the Buccaneers Thursday. To hear the interview, go the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.
Chung described the Patriots defensive backs as “a bunch of brothers.”
“We laugh together, we get mad together, we learn together,” Chung said. “We’re like a big, big family, like the Marines and the Army. It’s definitely good to have to guys that are older, because then you can ask them questions that can teach you the way of how to do things, and you can apply it to younger guys.”
Added Chung: “The younger you are, the quicker you get good information and you can apply it, the better a player you’ll be.”
Chung also said he has confidence in all of his teammates, no matter who Bill Belichick puts on the field.
Chung said that while the new tackling and defenseless receiver rules pose a challenge to defensive backs, “football is football.”
“You can’t take away the aggressiveness, you can’t take away the physicality,” Chung said. “Just play your game. If you get a penalty, you get a penalty, but try your hardest to follow the rules and stay away from those yellow flags.”
Chung said that having the quick, aggressive pass rush that the Patriots have shown in their two preseason games “definitely makes it a lot easier in coverage.”
“Quarterback has to make quick decisions, and it could end up knocked down or an interception or a sack,” Chung said. “It definitely makes it easier on the back end.”
When asked about next week’s game against the Lions and the Patriots’ strategy against premier wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Chung said, “I’ve got one word for you: Confidential.”]]>398062011-08-19 11:41:570000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lock_edit_lockPeter King on M&M: 'I thought it was a real overreaction by Bruschi'http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=40964
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=40964[/caption]
Sports Illustrated's Peter King joined Mut & Merloni Friday at noon to discuss the premier of "Bill Belichick: A Football Life," Chad Ochocinco's tweeting controversy and the Patriots' game against the Chargers on Sunday.
Ochocinco has received criticism for the following tweet sent out on Tuesday afternoon: "Just waking up after a late arrival,I've never seen a machine operate like that n person,to see video game numbers put up n person was WOW." Ochocinco was reacting to the Patriots' offensive explosion in Monday night's win over the Dolphins.
Former Patriots linebacker and current ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi, during an appearance on The Big Show Tuesday, heavily criticized Ochocinco, saying that he shouldn't be in awe of his own team and that he needs to start studying his playbook and get off twitter. King sounded in on the topic.
"I thought it was a real overreaction by Bruschi," King said. "And I really like Bruschi. ... In my opinion, if Tedy Bruschi doesn't think [Ochocinco] is smart enough or he hasn't studied enough, then say that. But to rip a guy for tweeting that he's in awe of what he's seeing out there. ... If you take Ochocinco on your team, you have to know that you're getting an outgoing guy whose going to say some things and be a little colorful and do some stuff where you just roll your eyes."
Ochocinco caught just one pass for 14 yards in New England's win on Monday. Some have questioned if Ochocinco has not dedicated himself to the playbook enough and that he is not picking up the Patriots' offense fast enough.
"I think it's a little bit to early to throw the baby out with the bathwater," King said of Ochocinco. "They gave him some money already so they're not going to cut him now. But I did think it was weird that Brady throws for 517 [yards] and Chad catches one ball and he's barely out on the field. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks. The bottom line is this: there are going to be some packages that Ochocinco knows and, barring some real weirdness going on, that he is going to be on the field. This story hasn't been written after one week."
Following are more highlights from the conversation. To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.On the Patriots and Chargers game possibly being a high-scoring affair: "I think it probably will be because both [Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers] are so great at getting the ball out fast. There's not anybody on either one of the teams who's such a great speed, edge rusher that you say, 'oh my god, these guys aren't going to have enough time.' They're going to have enough time and I think they're going to put a lot of yards and points on the board."
On "Bill Belichick: A Football Life": "It was fantastic. It was fabulous. ... I really liked that they showed he and Brady together, because if you ask a lot of players, he used to do this with Brandon Merriweather. He did it with a lot of guys all over the roster. Having them into his office, sitting down, watching tape and trying to figure things out. I just thought that was fabulously illuminating about how exactly he does his job. ... One of the reasons its great that they got that is that you're going to want to know how Belichick really did his job and that thing last night showed how he did his job."
On Michael Vick returning to Atlanta: "He went to two years ago, and this is an interesting little part of the story. He was a wildcat quarterback two years ago when Philly went to Atlanta and routed the Falcons and he actually threw for one touchdown and ran for one and nobody seems to remember that. So this is the first time he goes back as a starter and a guy who is really the guy who runs this offense. So its bigger but I will say this: I would guess, going back to that day [two years ago] when he was in the game, I would say it was 60 or 70 percent cheers when he went in the game that day. And I think that the Falcons, especially players who weren't around for the whole Vick-melodrama, I think that the Atlanta players might be taken aback by what happens when Vick takes the field on Sunday because I have a feeling that when he takes the field there's going to a ruckus, pro-Vick roar for him."]]>409642011-09-16 13:23:190000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockDeion Branch on M&M: Tom Brady put up 'Playstation' numbershttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=40852
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=40852[/caption]
Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch joined Mut & Merloni Tuesday morning to talk about the Patriots' 38-24 win over the Dolphins Monday night and how the New England offense was able to keep up its high-paced, no-huddle offense throughout most of the game.
"We put in a lot of work in training camp," Branch said. "Don't get me wrong, there times last night where we were tired. But guys fought through it."
Orchestrating that offense was, of course, Tom Brady. The quarterback threw for a franchise-record 517 yards in the game to go along with four touchdowns and one interception.
"Last night it was unreal," Branch said of Brady's performance. "That was just straight Playstation with what was going on. Those are Playstation numbers when guys play on the [video] games. He doesn't surprise me at all, but last night was just terrific. It's great to play for a quarterback like that."
Following are more highlights from the conversation. To hear the full interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page.
On the conditions in Miami last night: "Guys pushed through the adversity. There was a lot of different elements that [you don't see up in the press box] that were done there last night. It was very humid ... the field wasn't that good, there was a lot of things that you overexert your muscles when your playing on that type of field."
On Brady's lone interception: "[Benny Sapp] is a good player. It was my job to sort of wall him out ... but he made a good play on it and the ball went up in the air, the big guy took off. Once I got close enough to him, it was so weird because I was thinking about stripping the ball when I realized how wide his waist was and he would have gone into the endzone if I had tried to wrap my arms around his waist and strip the ball. My thing was I was thinking, 'just make the tackle, the defense will hold him up and at best they get a field goal.'"
On Chad Ochocinco's lack of receptions Monday night: "It wasn't anything that he wasn't doing. Chad does a great job, its never what he's not doing for us, its just that that's the way coach wanted to attack Miami. San Diego may be different, we may be out there in a three-or-four-receiver set, if we decide to go that route."]]>408522011-09-13 13:06:160000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockTranscript of Tom Brady on D&C:http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=41277
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=41277In the old days, before aerial assault football was so in vogue in Foxboro, a 21-0 lead would have some coaches, some quarterbacks, some teams try to run the ball a little bit more, let some air out of the ball and run the clock five yards all that. Is that a sound approach based on how this team is constructed do you think?
Well I think it's great to be balanced. No matter what you do, we're trying to run it just as well as we throw it and vice versa. It compliments one another. The play action game compliments the running game and vice versa. We don't want to come out of every game throwing the ball as many times as we have been. We want to be balanced. We have some [expletive] good running backs that are able to do some good things with it. I'm sure that's going to be a big point of emphasis. We're going to continue to find ways to get the ball to the guys who can really do something with it. The running backs are a big part of every game plan and when you come out of the game yesterday, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of critiques that we have for ourselves. Hopefully whatever we do next week, depending on the game plan, depending on what we see from their defense, we have to do it more efficiently than we did yesterday.
In an effort to not keep hammering on the negatives, what was the perfect play you guys made out there? The play that you worked on in practice, complicated, and it came off exactly the way you wanted it. Is there one that stands out in your mind?
I would say Wes [Welker]'s first touchdown pass. It was a great play by Wes. He got the corner moving and broke out of it and the corner slipped and Wes kind of walked in for a touchdown. Wes makes plays like that look easy. There's so few guys in the NFL who can run routes like Wes that allow him to get the separation that he does which allows him to make pretty difficult plays look pretty easy. That was a great play by Wes. He had a bunch of them all day. Rob [Gronkowski] had some great catches. Everyone really has to be on the same page so we can be more consistent and score more points.
I don't know if this one stands out in your mind. It wasn't for a touchdown, so maybe it doesn't. It was just after they had scored 17 unanswered. I believe you had just gone into the no huddle. It was a third-and-7. There was a great play with a double pick with Welker for 23 yards. That looked very complicated but perfectly executed.
Yeah. Like I said, we do have a lot of confidence that we're a good catching team, that we can protect and we can run routes, we can get the ball to the right guys. I think there were days before when we would lose games 21-0 and then you feel like God, we're not even close. You feel like we're able to make the plays. It's just too many negative plays take away from the good plays that we're making. Because we made plenty of good plays. But the turnovers really negate the positive plays.
We're just going to need to do a better job. That's what we're going to be working on all week in practice. It's early in the year. It's on the third game of the year. Nothing is decided here in September. We're going to come to practice. We're going to work hard. We're going to take the coaching. We're going to put the game plan in and we're going to try to go out and do a [expletive] of a lot better than we did today. It's a pretty crappy taste in your mouth leaving a stadium like we did yesterday. Realizing that with a few pretty basic elementary plays, it's a different outcome.
Back to the negativity. What was the worst play of the day in your mind? The one that made you sick to your stomach?
For me, it's always the ones where I have guys open and I don't hit them. I had one to Deion [Branch] early in the game, a come-back route on our sideline that I missed and that really pissed me off. I had a third down play that I tried to throw to Julian [Edelman]. I tried to look the safety off and I threw the ball too far inside and he knocked it down. The interceptions, yeah, those piss you off. There's no doubt about that. I try to evaluate the decisions I make. I don't really feel like I'm forcing the ball. I just feel like they made some good plays. I give them credit. They earned it. I'm going to make them earn it as a quarterback. I'm going to make them earn it. I'm not going to give it to them. If they get them, they're going to have to earn them.
Are you long since past the point where going home to the Bay Area is a distraction? You don't still have high school friends call you and say, 'hey, Tom, how about hooking me up' do you?
No. Not so much. It will be fun to go back there. I played in Oakland only once before. I never played in San Francisco. I missed those trips in the league being injured. It will be fun to be back home. It will be fun to play and for my parents not have to travel cross country to see me play. That will be nice for them. I'm sure they'll be pretty happy about that.
Did you hate the Raiders as a kid?
There wasn't a real hate because there honestly wasn't much of a rivalry at the time. They were in a different conference. San Francisco was winning a lot of those games. It wasn't a huge rivalry. I've always followed them because you're either a Raiders fan or a Niners fan. I just always happened to be a Niners fan.
Is there a chance that yesterday's loss might serve itself to be like the Cleveland loss was last year where everyone just gets so galvanized, so hacked off, so focused that you put a run together?
It remains to be seen. We have to see what kind of character we have. We have to see what kind of mental toughness we have. To come back from really tough losses and to not dwell on them but to learn from them. To go forward with more energy and enthusiasm. There's one or two ways that you can go. You can complain, point a finger, make excuses and really allow one loss to become a string of losses or you can say you know what, we made the mistakes. It was our fault. There was no one to blame but ourselves. Individually, there's nobody to blame but myself, and that's the approach you take going forward. You play with confidence. You play with toughness. You play with the understanding that we need to play better. If we do that, the outcomes will be different. If we don't, which who knows because this is the 2011 version of the team. We're going to go out there this week and practice and hopefully have a great week to prepare for a tough game in Oakland. They beat the Jets at home. We all know how good the Jets are. We have to go out there and prove to ourselves that we can win on the road, another tough game on the road.
The last time you lost to Buffalo, you guys won the Super Bowl that year.
That was a long time ago. I wish it was easy like that to make proclamations and so forth. But we're so far from where we need to be as an offense, as a team, individually, we're pretty far from where we need to be. We have to make those improvements so that the margin of error isn't so slick. We're going to see what we're made of this week. I think everyone can't wait to probably get on that practice field on Wednesday and see what we're all about.
Were you at the [Randy] Moss Halloween party where Bill [Belichick] went as a pirate? What did you go as?Yes. I was like a 70s disco guy. I had a pretty weak costume. Guys really stepped it up that year. Coach Belichick, he looked like Jack Sparrow. That was the best costume. I think he won best costume for that outfit.
Did they tell you not to roller skate? They don't need you falling on that right elbow.
You know what? I was coming back from my foot . . . was that 2009? No. I had my knees. I wouldn't mess around on roller skates. I'm not as athletic as some of those other guys to do the roller skates. Grass and cement, that's kind of what I stick to. Ice and water and all that, that's pretty tough for me.
Can you explain the role and the relationship between the radio helmet, the wristband, and how that all works together for you to call a play?
The radio, the coach on the sideline, Billy [O'Brien] is able to communicate with me up until 15 seconds left on the play clock. Then I have the wristband that, it's kind of a backup for if the radio goes down. Also, there's some play calls that have a lot of verbiage. It's quicker to say the number 52 rather than read off an entire list of words so that you can get the play called in the huddle and break the huddle with as much time as possible. We're trying to just break the huddle, get to the line of scrimmage with as much time as we can have. Sometimes, using the wristband is the most effective way of doing that. Always, if you have radio malfunctions like we have had in the past, there's a brief board that we have on the sidelines that they can write the number on, I can look, see the number, and then relate it to what's going on on my wristband.
If Billy says 52 in your radio helmet earphone, you don't know what 52 is? You have to look for it?
Yeah I have to look for it. We have 110 calls and they change every week, so you have 110 new calls every week. I'd spend the whole week trying to memorize all that. I wouldn't have any time for anything else.]]>412772011-09-26 09:53:240000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockBrian Watershttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=41580
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=41580415802011-10-05 14:51:260000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockBrady transcripthttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42394
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42394On the non-challenge of Gronkowski's touchdown, was the thinking, 'Let's just punch it in in a couple of seconds, move on and keep playing' as opposed to maybe throwing the red flag out there? I assumed you didn't expect it would take 1:31 more to throw the touchdown.
No I don't think we did. I thought he was in. When I threw it, he crossed the goal line. There were several of those that I would have thought differently about. But that's the way they call them. We still got the ball in the end zone. We still had an opportunity with the onside kick, and there was time left on the clock.
Until there's no time left on the clock as what happened in the Dallas game, I think we have a chance. We had chances all the way up to the end. We just didn't get the job done when we usually get it done. I wish we would have gotten that call. There's a few others I wish we would have gotten, but we didn't. We have to be mentally tough on a bad decision by a referee or a bad bounce, you have to overcome those things and you have to put them aside. Just go out there and try to do your job better.
Did Gronkowski tell you he thought he was in?
Yeah, he thought he was in, but we were going fast too. So Coach Belichick, there's time running down, we're already on the half-yard line. He's probably thinking, I don't know what he's thinking. I'm sure he'll be asked about it. Like I said, we still got the ball in the end zone. They made it tough on us. But, that's just, they make it tough on you, every half-yard was tough yesterday. There were no easy yards out there.
Because CBS didn't want to miss your snap, you almost kind of hurt yourself by not getting a second look at it in the coaches booth.
Yeah and that could be it as well. I'm not sure goes into all the decision-making of challenges and so forth. We as players, we don't sit here and wait for the coach to challenge it unless it's an out of bounds play or the clocks stop. For the most part, we're just moving on and trying to run the next play and execute it well.
Would you say Bill Belichick is the greatest head coach ever? If you didn't play for him? I'm sure when you were younger, you thought Bill Walsh was up there as a kid.
Yeah he was, but having the opportunity to play for Coach Belichick, we're as well prepared as any team could possibly be. There's not one situation that we don't cover. We never come out of the games surprised by what a defense was going to do. We talk every week about the things that we need to do to win. He's seen it all. When we do the things that he says we need to do, we win. And when we don't, we lose. So we have a lot of confidence in him. The entire team has 100 percent confidence in him, that the decisions that he makes are what is best for the team, the things that we need to do to win.
I'll tell you, to show up every day and to have to worry about your own job, that's all a player can expect to do. We all individually accept when we don't do things that we need to do on a consistent basis. [And with that,] things that we need to do better, because we certainly need to do a lot of things better.
The thing that we take from it is it is the seventh week of the year, or seventh game. We have nine important games to go. By no means are we peaking at this point. We have a lot of football to play. Hopefully we learn from this, and it makes us a better football team. This was an important game for us. We lost. We can sit here and worry about it and blame each other and listen to all the crap that is said about us, how much we suck and how much every player sucks, and let that affect us next week. But we're not going to do that. We're going to say, 'Okay, they played us well. They did things that they needed to do to win. We didn't.' But we have an important game this week and we have to be able to turn it around. That's the attitude that we take. It has served us well over the years. We're going to try to go out there and do a better job this week.
What kind of candy are you giving out tonight?
I don't think anybody comes by my house. I haven't had anybody knock on my door in a few years.
That's because you shut all the lights off and hide under the bed.
No, unfortunately, I don't think the people in Foxboro are going to be doing much trick-or-treating with the power outage.
Given the respect and admiration you talked about for Bill Belichick, can that co-exist with Bill Belichick being challenged within the system, by assistant coaches, other members of the staff, or even a select few players? Or is it just simply Bill's way or the highway down there?
No, everybody gives input to him. The captains give him input every week. I certainly have a lot of communication with him over the course of the week. The assistant coaches are always communicating with him. He's always listening. He's very flexible in decision-making. But ultimately, when it comes down to it, it's one person who makes the decision. He gathers all the input, and he makes the best decision he can for the team. That's all you can expect from the head coach. That's what we expect, and that's what we get. And like I said, that's why we have confidence in him. Because when he makes the decision, he's usually right.
What was your most memorable Halloween costume?
You know what I always wanted to be? I always wanted to be like a ninja. And instead of going out and getting a costume, I would always end up doing something cheap version, like a white sheet and you know you put the … My buddy who lived next door, he had like the full-on ninja outfit with the nun-chucks and the star, and I had like a little cardboard nun-chucks. Mine was pretty crappy, putting it together.
The best part of Halloween was pouring all the candy out on your floor and seeing what you got and then making trades with your friends. Always a great holiday.
Like throwing out the apple in that little baggie full of popcorn. Did you ever get one of those?
Yeah. Those are the worst. I loved the people who would leave just the bowl out on the front doorstep when they were gone and 'Please take one.' Well I never took just one. I promise you that.
Are the Brady boys going to be allowed to eat unlimited candy?
Their mom usually limits that. That's what happens. If it were up to me they would. But I don't fight it too much. She wants them to eat healthy, so they usually do. I'm sure they'll get a few little pieces though.
These 4:15 games are starting to feel normal, aren't they?
We've had a bunch. I prefer the Sunday at 1. But we've, 4:15, it's a home game. We have to get back on a winning track. We have to get back to playing our brand of football and come out here this week with a lot of intensity and emotion and try to get a win against a damn good team.]]>423942011-10-31 10:47:300000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastNFL News: http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42573
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42573425732011-11-06 17:07:320000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockFantasy Football: Week Eleven Waiver Wirehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42883
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=42883Carson Palmer, QB, Raiders
The old man has stepped right into a sweet spot as far as offensive production is concerned. He is supported by a deep and dynamic running game and he has a stable of exciting players to throw the ball to. He’s settled-in now and we like what we see. He was on our waiver wire last week, and he’s up at the top of the list going into week eleven.
Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals
As we’ve been saying since August, Dalton is a cool customer. Assuming we get reasonably good news on AJ Green’s knee, we like Dalton as a nice QB2 option going forward in any league.
Ben Tate, RB, Texans
We love Tate as you probably know, but the best handcuff in football is now a reasonable flex option in larger leagues. They are giving him significant touches every week and he produces consistently. He should be owned in all leagues. It’s worth noting that Tate is on the bye in week eleven.
Kendall Hunter, RB, 49ers
His immediate value is tethered to Frank Gore’s knee, and Gore is no lock to play in week eleven. You need to roster Hunter if you own Gore and he is worth a pickup if you are searching for options this week. He’s a dynamic little dude and his burst was apparent on his week ten touchdown.
Roy Helu, RB, Redskins
Redskins HC Mike Shanahan is a whole bunch of things that I can’t call him in this space. And, though it is reasonable to be wary of starting his players, we suggest you grab Helu if he is available. After Ryan Torain’s paltry output in his surprise start, it’s hard to see what other options Washington has. On top of that, we really like Helu’s ability. He is worth a roster spot in any format or league size.
Denarius Moore, WR, Raiders
Another one of our favorite 2011 rookies, Moore has been on our waiver wire most of this year, but after what he did on Thursday Night Football, I’m thinking this is his final week of mass availability. All of Moore’s skills were on display last week: the speed ... the hands ... t he ability to adjust to the ball. This guy is a must-add in any format. Hopefully you never dropped him.
Greg Little, WR, Browns
We’ve cried a little wolf on Mr. Little, but in our defense, he’s got a ton of upside. He finally filled up the stat sheet a bit in week ten, so we’re back singing his praises. The bottom line with Little is that he has weekly starter’s skills and he is the number one guy on his team. That’s two out of three. All we need now is consistent production. Pick him up if you have some space.
Damian Williams, WR, Titans
This guy is flying under the radar. We recommended him in week ten and we’re back to recommend him again after he went over 100 yards and scored for the fourth time in six games. This guy is worth owning in all but very small leagues. He’s their most productive receiver right now.
Laurent Robinson, WR, Cowboys
Hopefully, you snagged him last week as we suggested. If he is still out there, he makes for a very nice fill-in for at least another week and probably more. Laurent’s a very talented guy and he is healthy for the first time in a while. Robinson is also teamed up with a hot quarterback, which always helps. Ride the wave in all formats.
Earl Bennett, WR, Bears
He’s really come on since he came back and he looks like a weekly starter in PPR formats ... and a nice flex option in deeper performance leagues. Jay Cutler looks for him when he’s under duress ... and Jay Cutler is often under duress.
Vincent Brown, WR, Chargers
Another one of our guys. Brown is not a special talent, but he is a very good football player. He is a natural and he runs great routes. The key here is the health of Malcom Floyd. If Floyd returns this week, that will put a damper on Brown’s value, but we like Brown plenty if he is starting this week.
Brent Celek, TE, Eagles
He just keeps getting it done every week. The Eagles’ tight end has gone from witness protection to an all-out media tour. We’re now believers and it’s time to pick this guy up in all 12-team formats.
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Bengals
He came back strong with four grabs and a score. If you’ve been reading us all year, you know we love Gresham’s ability. He can start for you if you need a tight end in any league.]]>428832011-11-15 08:37:160000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockHow will Matt Light and Tom Brady mark the 'Tuck Rule' 10th anniversary?http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44517
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44517445172012-01-11 19:31:200000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockFantasy Football: Week Sixteen Waiver Wirehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=43955
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=43955Rotobahn.com and leave us a question in our forums. This goes for matchup questions later this week too. We’ll also be adding some matchup plays later today and throughout the week as we watch film.
Good luck to all in week sixteen!
Jake Locker, QB, Titans
Do you need some upside at quarterback? Grab Locker and play him if they give him the start. He’s a nice fantasy option as he can post points in many ways. This guy could end up being like Newton, Vick and Tebow. He’s is a tough athletic kid and he plays the game hard.
CJ Spiller, RB, Bills
He’s available in 30% of Yahoo leagues and he is a very solid RB2 option in week sixteen. Go get him if he’s there. Even if you don’t need him, you might want to keep him away from your opponent.
Donald Brown, RB, Colts
He’s a potential RB2 option in week sixteen if you are in need. We don’t love the matchup, but Brown has been very good lately.
Kahlil Bell, RB, Bears
He’s a guy to keep an eye on this week. He could be a solid RB2 option if they start him and he’s a decent flex option in large leagues already.
Lance Ball, RB, Broncos
He gets the Bills in week sixteen and it’s possible that Willis McGahee sits out, so Ball is a good hedge for McGahee owners and a decent option unto himself if you have a need.
Evan Royster, RB, Redskins
Starter Roy Helu is beat up and if you have been riding his hot hand, then you really ought to roster Royster just in case Helu can’t go this week. We feel pretty confident that Royster would dominate the touches in Helu’s absence and he has looked solid in limited work the last few weeks.
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos
He’s available in most leagues and he can be your WR3 this week if you need one for some reason. Thomas has clearly become Tebow’s number one option and for good reason.
Brent Celek, TE, Eagles
We’ve been pimping him for weeks and the Jets underscored our reasons for doing so on Sunday. He is available in a lot of leagues, so we’d go get him if you want some upside at TE.
Dustin Keller, TE, Jets
He is coming on and you can get him in one out of four Yahoo leagues. Keller can give you some upside if you lost Fred Davis or what have you.
Jared Cook, TE, Titans
If you struck out on Keller and Celek, you might consider Cook, whom the Titans want to keep involved after a solid effort in week fifteen.]]>439552011-12-20 11:27:120000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockdsq_thread_id332618klsdjfjk@aol.comhttp://vip-essays.com/2012-02-15 14:54:002012-02-15 19:54:00100http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44018
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44018440182011-12-23 10:22:060000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44590
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=44590445902012-01-15 00:45:440000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockSuper Bowl roundup: Eli Manning's first receiver speakshttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45111
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45111[/caption]
It was expected that, with the Giants and Patriots set for a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, many in the media would look into the past for column fodder.Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, however, went way back past 2008 for his material. He managed to find Eli Manning's first receiver, Derek Victory, who shared his memories of playing with Manning for the Isidore Newman School football team.
Victory's perspective on Manning is a unique one. He used to work out with Manning regularly and grew up seeing both Peyton and Eli around town. Victory played with Peyton as a freshman and was a junior when Eli, a tall and skinny junior varsity player, made a spot start for the varsity squad. Victory claims no foresight into either quarterback's future career as an NFL superstar, but acknowledges both brothers were talented high school players.
“Everyone was in awe of Peyton, as you can imagine,” Victory said. “And he was so intense, you knew if he threw you the ball you had to catch it because the reason he threw to you is that he’d made the decision that you were his best option. Eli — and I know this is no surprise — was a lot more easygoing. But he could throw it, too. Even then.”
♦ At Sports Illustrated.com, Kerry Byrne reveals that Giants coach Tom Coughlin has a history of guiding teams to upsets long before his Giants topped the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He delves into Coughlin's results as coach at Boston College when the Eagles topped then-No. 1 Notre Dame, 41-39, costing the Fighting Irish the national title. Notre Dame has not been ranked No. 1 since that game.
Coughlin also coached the 1996 Jaguars, who topped John Elway's 13-3 Broncos in the AFC championship game despite entering the playoffs as the wild card.
Byrne then lists the 2007 Giants statistics, pointing out that many of those stats are the worst of any Super Bowl champion. Among some of the eye-openers are the Giants' passer rating differential ranking that year, which, at 24th overall, is far and away the worst PRD ranking in championship history. The only other championship team in history ranked outside of the top 10 was the 1974 Steelers, who were 12th in the NFL.
Despite the Patriots' 10-game win streak (their last loss came in Week 9 against the Giants), New England's patched-together defense has not gone unnoticed. During the regular season, the Patriots were ranked 31st in yards allowed, second-worst in the NFL. The New England secondary is highly inexperienced and, in past weeks, even wide receiver Julian Edelman has been chipping in on defense.
♦ Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News asserts that the game will not be a matter of quarterback vs. quarterback but rather defense vs. defense. He examines the Giants' defensive game against the 49ers in Sunday's NFC championship game and shows that the Giants have proven they can excel at making important stops late in the game. The Giants, he claims, are playing defense better than anybody in the playoffs, and indeed they are ranked second in the NFL in total defense throughout the postseason.
[Defense] won the NFC championship for the Giants Sunday night, nearly did the same for the 49ers, Lupica wrote. And as much as we still talk about what Eli Manning did the last time the Giants won it all, as much as Eli earned his Super Bowl MVP, you know the biggest reason the Giants won that game, and why the Patriots didn’t end up 19-0 that year. ... The Giants won the game because they won the fight against Tom Brady and what had been one of the great offenses in NFL history.
♦ Super Bowls are usually about winners, champions and glory, but they can also create some of the most painful memories of fans, players, and coaches lives. Yahoo! Sports expert Michael Silver composed a piece that appeals to those who take pleasure in other people's pain, as he ranks the top five losers of Super Bowl XLVI. Silver's list is for the players and coaches released ahead of their team's run, overshadowed by competitors in the Super Bowl, or made to look plain foolish. Former Patriots Albert Haynesworth and Randy Moss are both on the list, which is topped by none other than Jets coach Rex Ryan.
If Super Bowl week will be uncomfortable for Manning, it’s a full-fledged fiasco for Sexy Rexy, Silver wrote. The Jets coach must wistfully watch a media circus involving not his favorite public personality (himself) but, instead, the two franchises he has openly targeted and – as of right now – failed to surpass.]]>451112012-01-26 11:17:360000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockMike Lombardi on D&C: http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45172
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45172451722012-01-27 09:43:140000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockThe World According to Ochocinco: Thursday editionhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45618
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=45618456182012-02-02 12:49:370000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockReport: LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne scores a four on Wonderlichttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=47379
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=47379473792012-04-03 08:05:330000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockRob Gronkowski to appear in ESPN's Body Issuehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=48743
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=48743Rob Gronkowski was tabbed as one of 27 athletes who will appear in 2012's ESPN the Magazine Body Issue.
Gronkowski is just one of two NFL players who will be in this year's issue. Joining Gronkowski is Maurice-Jones Drew. The magazine will also feature a couple of soccer player, members of USA's volleyball team and one hockey, baseball and basketball player.
New England's tight end recently signed a six-year contract extension reportedly worth $54 million.]]>487432012-06-27 10:37:020000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0_edit_last_edit_lockReport: Wes Welker tackled by Aspen copshttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=48701
Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=48701[/caption]
According to a report in today’s New York Post, Patriots receiver Wes Welker, who was precelebrating with his friends for his upcoming wedding, was involved in a fight with security guards on Friday night in Aspen, Colo.
Welker and six of his friends arrived at a Patron tequila-sponsored event and tried rushing inside without checking in with party staffers, which led to security tackling the uncooperative group and a near brawl, according to sources.
Witnesses reportedly said that Welker and his friends still wouldn’t cooperate and demanded to be let in, but after security threatened to arrest them, they backed down and were kicked out.
Aspen police couldn’t confirm that Welker was among those involved in the incident, but that there was a record of a “lecture and release” incident at the restaurant where the scuffle took place.
Welker is scheduled to marry his fiancée, Anna Burns, on June 24.]]>487012012-06-19 10:56:390000-00-00 00:00:00opencloseddraft00post0dsq_thread_id_edit_last_edit_lock334835ponchsox@husmail.com2012-04-13 19:28:002012-04-13 23:28:00100334836awesomemckillguy@yahoo.com2012-04-13 20:08:002012-04-14 00:08:00100334837ponchsox@husmail.com2012-04-13 20:17:002012-04-14 00:17:0013348360334846mail@perfidias.com2012-04-13 22:23:002012-04-14 02:23:00100334857andy_pms@hotmail.com2012-04-14 10:53:002012-04-14 14:53:0013348350Patriots release Ross Ventrone, claim Mark Wettererhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2001/08/10/patriots-release-ross-ventrone-claim-mark-wetterer/
Fri, 10 Aug 2001 17:11:02 +0000http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/?p=39322Mark Wetterer from the Bengals and have released safety Ross Ventrone.
Wetterer was on the field for Wednesday's walkthrough, though until the Pats made the moves known, the identity of the new player on the field (a white No. 75 jersey to avoid confusion with the blue one worn by Vince Wilfork) was unknown. The Louisville product was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bengals on July 26 and waived on Monday. He stands at 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds.
Ventrone spent the majority of last season on the Patriots' practice squad after initially being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Villanova.]]>393222001-08-10 13:11:022001-08-10 17:11:02openclosedpatriots-release-ross-ventrone-claim-mark-wettererpublish00post0_edit_last_edit_lock_wp_old_slugdsq_thread_idPatriots Look at Lynchhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/14/patriots-look-at-lynch/
Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:40:00 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=5The Patriots are looking at John Lynch.
In the wake of the season-ending knee injury to Tank Williams, Patriots coach Bill Belichick had this to say on Thursday about the rumors coming fast and furious about the chances of the former Broncos safety joining Team Dynasty in Foxboro."I know there are some reports out there about John Lynch. I can tell you that I met with John yesterday. He came in, we talked and he took a physical. But right now he is not under contract with the [New England] Patriots. Until he is, I won’t have any further comment on that other then what I just said, that he was here. If and when that happens, then we will address it but until then I really don’t have any other comment on it. That is where we are for today."]]>52008-08-14 16:40:002008-08-14 23:40:00openopenpatriots-look-at-lynchpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id672dermey@entercom.com69.181.177.722008-08-14 22:47:512008-08-15 05:47:51100198644ma.c.ke.nz.i.e.joha.nn.e.s.se.n@gmail.comhttp://www.allegropl.net/94.60.169.1682011-11-07 18:45:262011-11-07 23:45:26100201900Wharton116@gmail.comhttp://www.psotnice.pl83.26.29.2342011-11-08 02:56:242011-11-08 07:56:24100208278Bielby@sakkidakki.comhttp://noxedge.xanga.com/756333685/working-out-to-get-bigger-muscles-you-may-not-know-this/173.208.71.292011-11-08 19:40:102011-11-09 00:40:10100197650Blumenkrantz@aol.comhttp://sigmakom.com/77.28.225.1692011-11-07 16:03:222011-11-07 21:03:22100203372Niffenegger@gmail.comhttp://www.directsoccer.org/118.96.79.2522011-11-08 08:40:582011-11-08 13:40:58100204381origi.nalbarf@gmail.comhttp://motoallegro.org94.60.169.1682011-11-08 10:28:412011-11-08 15:28:41100209772Whipple@gooofy.comhttp://ecigreviews2u.com173.234.46.132011-11-09 00:26:432011-11-09 05:26:4310021013056706Casparis@gmail.comhttp://gapkandroid.blogspot.com/173.234.152.842011-11-09 01:34:252011-11-09 06:34:25100211454Fowley@gmail.comhttp://www.cellphoneaccessoriesv.com173.208.56.2052011-11-09 05:20:232011-11-09 10:20:23100213144Lawhorn60@hotmail.comhttp://www.shoora.org/fad-diets-that-work-exactly-what-you-need-know-about-berries-eating/173.234.120.2162011-11-09 10:34:262011-11-09 15:34:26100213896Alias3289@hotmail.comhttp://www.fanfiction.net/u/3298615/2.99.59.922011-11-09 12:43:122011-11-09 17:43:12100214591a2958981@2958981.comhttp://aa2958981.com108.62.88.1472011-11-09 14:15:292011-11-09 19:15:29100216561Roatch@gmail.comhttp://pacquiaoversusmarquez3live.blogspot.com190.220.154.422011-11-09 16:52:132011-11-09 21:52:13100217833Dally@ymail.comhttp://www.tarotegipcio.es/blog/173.234.38.2522011-11-09 18:02:442011-11-09 23:02:44100222221391Boensch@hotmail.comhttp://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2383377&go=wyatthuffman511108.62.45.1882011-11-10 00:37:522011-11-10 05:37:52100224448Gonnella@gmail.comhttp://www.sportstvlivestreaming.com/pacquiao-vs-marquez-live-streaming/117.121.207.1842011-11-10 05:21:482011-11-10 10:21:48100225230johnkf@aol.comhttp://rufusmichael1026.posterous.com/greek-actual-estate-personal-a-piece-of-backg108.62.180.2112011-11-10 06:17:412011-11-10 11:17:41property in greece]]>100230212Fukuda8@gmail.comhttp://www.esalemax.com173.208.125.1992011-11-10 15:51:342011-11-10 20:51:34100230969sick@scrapes.comhttp://www.wordpresstrackback.com50.115.2.2162011-11-10 17:01:532011-11-10 22:01:53100231397Hames@gmail.comhttp://www.asianave.com/your_page/blog/view_posting.html?pid=6264419&profile_id=52491577&profile_name=danialknowle1024&user_id=52491577&username=danialknowle1024199.195.109.202011-11-10 17:40:002011-11-10 22:40:00100233182Breitbach@gmail.comhttp://www.mayweathervsortizfight.com186.192.5.2062011-11-10 19:40:552011-11-11 00:40:5510023441863382Horridge@gmail.comhttp://gapkandroid.blogspot.com/173.234.152.842011-11-10 21:15:472011-11-11 02:15:47100237358Noullet@gmail.comhttp://www.cellphoneaccessoriesv.com173.234.150.362011-11-11 02:51:532011-11-11 07:51:53100237765Geigel61@yahoo.comhttp://golden-corralcoupons.org/74.221.215.52011-11-11 03:46:262011-11-11 08:46:26100240181Degiacomo1817@gmail.comhttp://www.annuaire-articles.fr/2011/11/01/site-access-total/74.217.89.2342011-11-11 07:27:582011-11-11 12:27:58100240383Plyer24587@hotmail.comhttp://www.diigo.com/user/dominicywilso?domain=www.jengaloans.co.uk2.99.59.922011-11-11 08:01:052011-11-11 13:01:05100Welcomehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/15/welcome/
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:35:59 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=25252008-08-15 21:35:592008-08-16 04:35:59openopenwelcomepublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id2fight@hockeymail.com129.63.131.1932008-08-18 06:16:062008-08-18 13:16:061003mikecorreia@gmail.comhttp://www.mikecorreia.com134.140.154.202008-08-18 06:53:322008-08-18 13:53:32100While Waiting on Brady...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/17/while-waiting-on-brady/
Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:39:46 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=53Tom Brady didn't make the trip to Tampa Bay for the team's second exhibition game, reportedly because of an ankle problem. It's not yet clear which ankle or if this has anything remotely to do with his right ankle/foot problem that put him in a walking boot prior to the Super Bowl loss against the Giants.
Brady said Monday on Patriots Monday on WEEI with Mike Felger and Scott Zolak that it was his right foot that was bothering him and that this should NOT set off any alarms, adding that he will get treatment this week and he's not sure if he will play this Friday against Philadelphia, usually the most important preseason game for regulars.
While the concern level certainly is NOT there yet, it does give everyone pause in Foxboro because A) Brady has yet to take a snap and B) the backups in camp have a combined 22 completions on 39 attempts, all belonging to Matt Cassel.
[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignnone" width="250" caption="Brady's backup trying to head in the right direction"][/caption]
This is make or break for Cassel, who comes into the season with 71.8 career rating and a 32.7 rating from last season.
Throw in the fact that Matt Gutierrez and rookie Kevin O'Connell have yet to take a snap in an NFL regular season game and you're not exactly talking about security at the signal-caller position.
NO ONE should be getting quite nervous yet because all it takes for Brady to get ready for Sept. 7 against Kansas City is a couple of series behind center in the preseason and the ability to stand upright.
Brady has been kept out of several practices this camp and while most observers have pointed out that it was to save the burden on his shoulder and keep him fresh, the latest news sheds new light and perspective.
Meanwhile, making all of these observations from the third row of the Fenway Park press box as the Blue Jays lay a football-like 14-3 (make that 15-3) pounding on the Red Sox don't mean much until the Patriots confirm or deny any problems with No. 12.
And we may not have that answer until Sept. 7.]]>532008-08-17 13:39:462008-08-17 20:39:46openopenwhile-waiting-on-bradypublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id198869Durrenberger@aol.comhttp://www.sigmakom.com/77.28.225.1692011-11-07 19:09:332011-11-08 00:09:33100217159Arndell@gmail.comhttp://pacquiaoversusmarquez3live.blogspot.com218.189.219.302011-11-09 17:23:412011-11-09 22:23:41100226752Adams@gmail.comhttp://www.sportstvlivestreaming.com/pacquiao-vs-marquez-live-streaming/190.79.228.1562011-11-10 10:02:202011-11-10 15:02:20100238788Goo@gmail.comhttp://blackhatrealm.com110.77.137.2222011-11-11 05:20:342011-11-11 10:20:34100Not another...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/18/not-another/
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:50:52 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=174[/caption]
The Patriots did not practice Monday and there was no conference call with head coach Bill Belichick to update the injury.
"We'll see how that goes. I'm not sure what the situation is but hopefully that's not a problem," Belichick said of Meriweather in his postgame news conference on Sunday night.
Meriweather came into this year with the hope of teamming with Rodney Harrison as safeties in the Patriots defensive backfield.
Meriweather's injury is the latest to the Patriots defense, which has already lost safety/linebacker Tank Williams for the season to a knee injury while corners Jason Wilhite and Jonathan Wilhite were out with less serious leg injuries. Additionally, Rodney Harrison, James Sanders, Lewis Sanders and Mike Williams were all unvailable Sunday night.
The Patriots head back to the practice field on Tuesday in preparation for their third preseason game on Friday night at Gillette Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles.]]>1742008-08-18 11:50:522008-08-18 18:50:52openopennot-anotherpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastBrady updatehttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/18/brady-update/
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:20:27 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=190[/caption]
"I'm not sure," Brady told WEEI about his chances of playing this Friday against Philadelphia. "I'm not sure. I'm trying to get treatment this week and I'm feeling better every day. It's going to be up to coach as to what he wants to do. But I think he's been coaching long enough to understand that the first game in September is what's important."
The Patriots open the season on Sept. 7 at home against Kansas City.
Brady did not make the trip to Tampa Bay for Sunday night's 27-10 loss to the Buccaneers.]]>1902008-08-18 14:20:272008-08-18 21:20:27openopenbrady-updatepublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id112125Debenham@shinglessymptomsx.nethttp://shinglessymptomsx.net91.62.34.1942011-07-03 14:03:022011-07-03 18:03:02100202992Zdenek@yahoo.comhttp://www.modelflux.com/pg/blog/owner/buycheapgold190.208.94.1542011-11-08 07:34:282011-11-08 12:34:28100203483Girbach@yahoo.comhttp://errandconnection.com/pg/blog/owner/anxiaoyu92.255.194.1852011-11-08 08:54:102011-11-08 13:54:1010021013168897Chevez@gmail.comhttp://gapkandroid.blogspot.com/173.234.138.2202011-11-09 01:34:252011-11-09 06:34:25100222615Subler@gmail.comhttp://gapkandroid.blogspot.com/2011/11/worms-electronic-arts-nederland-apk.html173.234.47.852011-11-10 01:48:302011-11-10 06:48:30100Quiet For Now...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/19/quiet-for-now/
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:30:30 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=262[/caption]
Say what you will, the world could be coming down on the Patriots and they STILL wouldn't have the gall or nerve to bring back Chris Henry. Was listening to 700 WLW on satellite radio this morning and Bengaldom is not taking the news well that a multiple-offender of the law and common decency is getting another chance with Mike Brown's Bengals. I know, I know, this is about the New England Patriots but it shows you just how different the two franchises are and how polar opposite they are when it comes to handling character in and out of the locker room. Maybe Mike Brown is trying to make working conditions so bad he is encouraging people to quit instead of firing them, read: Marvin Lewis.
One of the best columnists I've read is Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Here's his read (And I don't have to waste anymore time on this).]]>2622008-08-19 07:30:302008-08-19 14:30:30openopenquiet-for-nowpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id338157aashish1989@yahoo.com2012-07-27 15:29:002012-07-27 19:29:00100338143cl2828@msn.com2012-07-27 14:16:002012-07-27 18:16:00100338133jb@foxboro.com2012-07-27 11:36:002012-07-27 15:36:00100338132http://profile.yahoo.com/4NJA3B5QQGBHQZFGC424B3JQ7Y2012-07-27 11:15:002012-07-27 15:15:00100Patriots release Marcus Pollardhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/19/patriots-release-marcus-pollard/
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:28:50 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=287Marcus Pollard...
[caption id="attachment_309" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pollard won't be joining Ellis Hobbs in New England"][/caption]

“All the players that are here we’re comfortable with to a certain degree,” Bill Belichick said of the 36-year-old who has played with the Colts, Lions and Seahawks. “With Marcus, we just felt that it didn’t work out the way we had hoped and he had hoped. There’s two weeks remaining in camp and some teams could be looking. I have a lot of respect for what he’s done in his career. He’s had a great career so we did this out of respect for him.”

Taking his place on the roster is 23-year-old Tyson DeVree, originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent on May 5 and was released by the Patriots on June 11. He finished his college career at the University of Colorado (2006-07) after transferring from Western Michigan (2003-04) after his sophomore year. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end played in 44 collegiate games, making 96 receptions for 987 yards and 15 touchdowns.

As far as Brady and Moss working together… “All of things they do, they’ve done before,” Belichick said. “To a certain extent, we’re ahead of that. We’ve still got to execute it this year.”

]]>2872008-08-19 08:28:502008-08-19 15:28:50openopenpatriots-release-marcus-pollardpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastRead between the lines...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/19/read-between-the-lines/
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:07:53 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=314
But what's more fascinating are the comments from Matt Cassel, heretofore a mellow understudy to Tom Brady and Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC. It appears the criticism of the QB on the NFL Network during Sunday's night broadcast fired him up.
"I don't watch that stuff," Cassel said of the comments of analysts Marshall Faulk and Sterling Sharpe. "I don't know why they're particularly harsh," "A lot those guys are ex-players and they understand how difficult this game is and how hard you prepare, week-in and week-out, and so when they're so critical it's interesting to me because those guys were in the same shoes at one point in their career. They should understand how hard it is to go out there and perform each and every week. We go out there and work to put a 100 percent effort out there. That's just how it goes and some people are going to be like that."
Matt Cassel on The NFL Network Criticism
WOW! Maybe that's what was missing. The fire in the belly. It will be fascinating to see how No. 16 comes out this week for the ailing No. 12 on many different levels. First, the Patriots need to know once and for all if he can handle the system if need be. Second, if this motivation is what was needed to bring his focus to another level.
Cassel is 7-for-14 in two games this preseason, with no touchdowns and one interception and a quarterback rating of 34.2.]]>3142008-08-19 11:07:532008-08-19 18:07:53openopenread-between-the-linespublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastMikey has a listhttp://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/19/mikey-has-a-list/
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:35:21 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=355Was just on the award-winning Planet Mikey show and Mike Adams said he had a list he wanted to read on the air. I convinced him that it would better if he released the coveted info on our new Web site. So, here it is:
Mike Adams can name nine right-handed batters in baseball history better than Manny Ramirez:
Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Rogers Hornsby, Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Jimmie Foxx, and Frank Thomas.
Discuss ...]]>3552008-08-19 18:35:212008-08-20 01:35:21openopenmikey-has-a-listpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id32brttslv@yahoo.com65.124.124.302008-08-19 18:44:092008-08-20 01:44:0910033jkarp1010@earthlink.net69.81.193.922008-08-19 19:04:532008-08-20 02:04:5310034steven.mancini@ppsd.org72.209.52.1572008-08-19 19:10:192008-08-20 02:10:1910035Jay1187@aol.com96.233.63.802008-08-19 19:29:312008-08-20 02:29:31134036bostonsptsfan@gmail.com72.71.254.532008-08-19 19:34:392008-08-20 02:34:3910037ffjvn4@juno.com131.142.52.1582008-08-20 06:37:452008-08-20 13:37:4510038robert.dugdale@live.com192.223.243.52008-08-20 11:42:422008-08-20 18:42:42100The Start of Something...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/20/the-start-of-something/
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:53:53 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=404[/caption]
A colleague of mine, whose identity will be protected - for now, actually is railing against "Batman-Dark Knight" because it's too long, no ending, blah, blah, blah... He is the house movie critic.
Maybe we'll start "Marc's Mad Movies" and get his top five to see and worst five to avoid. That idea hasn't hit the cutting room floor yet and it just might be a good way to keep me going during those days that are somewhat slow down here.
Everyone is killing me for my allegiance to the Bengals and everyone wants to know why they would give Chris Henry, the wide receiver, another chance, not to mention a two-year contract to get his life turned around.
Tom Brady usually addresses us on Wednesday's during the season but don't expect an update on his right foot or anything else for that matter today. If that changes, check in here and I'll be sure to let you know.]]>4042008-08-20 07:53:532008-08-20 14:53:53openopenthe-start-of-somethingpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastdsq_thread_id217943Nisbett@gmail.comhttp://pacquiaoversusmarquez3live.blogspot.com41.86.229.792011-11-09 18:10:502011-11-09 23:10:50100204128Gettis@gmail.comhttp://www.directsoccer.org/78.38.91.1022011-11-08 10:12:192011-11-08 15:12:19100206643Orban@aol.comhttp://sigmakom.com/77.28.225.1692011-11-08 15:26:402011-11-08 20:26:40100226853Gonnella@gmail.comhttp://www.sportstvlivestreaming.com/pacquiao-vs-marquez-live-streaming/187.53.149.222011-11-10 10:06:252011-11-10 15:06:25100233599Swierczynski@gmail.comhttp://www.mayweathervsortizfight.com200.111.39.2202011-11-10 20:01:452011-11-11 01:01:45100Remember when?...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/20/remember-when/
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:35:02 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=439[/caption]
Tom Brady was a lanky, sixth-round pick out of Michigan and he was, like Kevin O'Connell, way down the Patriots depth chart at quarterback.
Going back to Tampa Bay on Sunday night had John Lynch remembering the 2000 season opener at old Foxboro Stadium. While with Bucs, defensive guru Monte Kiffin told him about that skinny kid in the No. 12 jersey across the way.
"I was telling (Brady) that I remember his first year, being the fourth quarterback, and Monty Kiffin saying, 'Hey, they kind of like this kid. But don't worry about. I'm sure we won't see him.' And to think all these years later about what he's gone onto to do," Lynch said. "That's pretty impressive."
John Lynch on his talk with Brady
Don't expect to see Brady this week as he continues to get treatment on his reportedly sore right foot.
Old friend (and Ohio State alum) Albert Breer has an interesting read on what it takes to be a back-up quarterback.
[caption id="attachment_445" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Oh, How I love Ohio State"][/caption]
Many New Englanders will recall Breer's terrific work with MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald while on the Patriots beat.
After a stint covering the T.O. circus for the Dallas Morning News, he's back in the Boston area, Sudbury to be exact, but working as the national football writer for The Sporting News on-line.
Why the praise? Because he's an Ohio State Buckeye, through and through and he knows the pain of playing an SEC school when the national title is on the line.]]>4392008-08-20 10:35:022008-08-20 17:35:02openopenremember-whenpublish00post0_edit_lock_edit_lastWelcome back...http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2008/08/20/welcome-back/
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:16:38 +0000http://blogs.weei.com/?p=452
This Friday, Samuel's new team, the Philadelphia Eagles, visit Gillette Stadium and while many fans may have a beef with Samuel and his dropped pass, contract holdout before the 2007 season and eventual shunning of New England for a $57.14 million deal over six years, don't count his teammates among them.
[caption id="attachment_455" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Showing Off His New 22"][/caption]
Samuel played five seasons in New England before departing after Super Bowl XLII and he made some loyal friends, like Ellis Hobbs and Laurence Maroney.
Surprised he left the security of New England?
"No not really," Hobbs said on Wednesday. "I know he got money over there. It always feels weird initially when you see a guy on the other team but it is what it is."
Hobbs said he doesn't expect players to stay with their teams purely out of loyalty anymore. Business is business.
"It used to be you stay with a team 10, 12 years, your whole career, they retire your jersey, woot-dee-woo," said Hobbs. "Now, six, seven (years), it's just not like it used to be. It's just the nature of the beast and you move along."
Woot de Woo with Ellis Hobbs
"He was like a big brother to me. He was definitely a great guy and I wish him the best of luck against everybody but us," Maroney added.
What if Maroney breaks through the line and has Samuel in his sights.
"He's a pretty good tackler," Maroney said. "I went against him in camp. He knows me a little bit and I know him a little bit. There's no telling what he might do. He might shoot low, He might shoot high."
Based on his deal with the Eagles, Maroney would be well-advised to brace himself for a shot between the numbers if he sees Samuel coming.]]>4522008-08-20 11:16:382008-08-20 18:16:38openopenwelcome-backpublish00post0